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Prayers and Ceremony for Vigils Honouring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

This resource offers prayers, liturgical materials and ceremony guidance for use at vigils honouring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. It supports communities in creating sacred space, offering lament and seeking justice through worship grounded in Indigenous teachings, Christian prayer and practices of remembrance. The material is suitable for vigils on October 4—the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit (MMIWG2S+) people, also known as Sisters in Spirit Day—and for other gatherings dedicated to grief, healing and solidarity.

Suggested uses

  • Planning October 4 vigils for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
  • Creating sacred space using smudging or locally appropriate ceremony
  • Prayer services, storytelling circles or community memorial events
  • Liturgies of lament using candle lighting, prayers of the people or drum accompaniment
  • Scripture reflection, hymn selection and intercessions for Eucharist or services of the Word
  • Closing rites, communal commitments and healing-focused worship

Key themes

  • Honouring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
  • Ceremony, sacred space and Indigenous spiritual practices
  • Lament, grief, healing and communal solidarity
  • Justice, truth telling and advocacy
  • Prayer grounded in Indigenous, Anglican and ecumenical traditions
  • Community commitments to safety, care and transformation

Best suited for: clergy, parish leaders, Indigenous ministries, reconciliation groups, community organizers, prayer circles, vigil coordinators and worship planners preparing services of remembrance or seeking to integrate ceremony, prayer and justice-focused reflection.

Acknowledging the land and God’s creation

This acknowledgement is crafted in light of the Principles of Reconciliation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, as we seek to live faithfully in Christ and in right relationship with all. 

We give thanks to the Creator for this land, its waters, forests and all living beings, and for the abiding presence of Christ among us. From coast to coast to coast, these have been cared for and nurtured by First Nations, Inuit and Métis through countless generations. 

We honour the enduring relationship Indigenous Peoples have cultivated with these lands and waters, and the treaties and agreements that reflect these sacred bonds. We acknowledge the harms caused by colonial expansion, through frameworks like the Doctrine of Discovery and structures like the residential school system. We recognize our past failures as a Church, including disruption of connections to the land and suppression of Indigenous spiritualities. 

Guided by the gospel of Jesus Christ, we confess our need for healing. We commit ourselves to seeking truth, pursuing reconciliation and nurturing harmony with all creation. We place our trust in Christ, through whom all things are reconciled to God. 

May God strengthen us to live faithfully as stewards of the Earth. Let us walk in love, justice and reconciliation, joining in God’s work to restore all creation.