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Prayers and collects for truth and reconciliation

These prayers and collects support reflection, healing and shared commitment on the journey of truth and reconciliation. Rooted in Anglican tradition and shaped by the lived experience of Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, they invite communities to pray with honesty, hope and a desire for renewed relationship. The prayers below may be used in liturgies, study groups or personal devotion.

A Collect

(from Indigenous Ministries, written to accompany the Covenant of 1994)

Creator God,
from you every family in heaven and on earth takes its name.
You have rooted and grounded us in your covenant love,
and empowered us by your Spirit
to speak the truth in love,
and to walk in your way towards justice and wholeness.
Mercifully grant that your people,
journeying together in partnership,
may be strengthened and guided
to help one another
to grow into the full stature of Christ,
who is our light and our life.
Amen.

Anglican Healing Fund prayer

Merciful God, you call us to loving relationship with one another.
Be with us now as we seek to heal old wounds and find joy again in this relationship.
Replace our hearts of stone with hearts of flesh.
Give us the gifts of honesty and openness, and fill us with your healing power and grace.
We ask this in Jesus’s name.
Amen.

Suggested uses

  • Incorporate into Sunday or weekday worship when marking days of remembrance, healing or reconciliation
  • Support parish learning circles, Bible studies or small groups exploring truth and reconciliation
  • Use in diocesan gatherings, councils or committees focused on reconciliation and Indigenous–settler relations
  • Offer as part of personal prayer and reflection on justice, healing and right relationship

Key themes

  • Healing, truth-telling and renewed relationship
  • Commitment to justice and reconciliation in Canada
  • Partnership between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples
  • Honesty, compassion and covenantal love

Best suited for: individuals, parishes, worship leaders, educators, reconciliation committees and anyone seeking prayers for healing, truth-telling and right relationship in an Anglican context.

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.