Dear Friends in Christ,
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
On September 30, we will join communities across Canada in marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation—Orange Shirt Day.
This year carries special weight. It is the 10th anniversary of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Final Report and the 94 Calls to Action. Survivors have carried their truths with courage across generations. They have told and retold their stories—at great personal cost—so that all Canadians might listen, learn, and act. We owe them our deepest humility, our steadfast respect, our genuine love, and our commitment to knowledge that transforms.
These four virtues—humility, respect, love, and knowledge—are drawn from the Grandfather Teachings of the Anishinaabe. They are ancient teachings, passed down through Elders, offering guidance for living in right relationship. They also speak profoundly into our Christian calling.
- In humility, we acknowledge that we do not stand above others but as one part of God’s creation. For the Church, this means confessing the wrongs we have committed, listening without defensiveness, and being open to correction.
- In respect, we honour Survivors, Elders, and all Indigenous peoples. We treat every story as sacred and recognize the wisdom and dignity of the land, the water, the animals, and the peoples who have lived here since time immemorial.
- In love, we recall that love is not a vague sentiment but an active choice. Love calls us to walk alongside one another, to bear burdens together, and to seek justice and healing together.
- In knowledge, we remember that to cherish knowledge is to know wisdom. We commit ourselves to learning from Survivors, from the Calls to Action, from Indigenous traditions, and from the Creator who is always teaching us.
Archbishop Chris Harper, our National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop, has reminded us often that reconciliation must not remain a noun on a page but must become a verb—something we do together. He also speaks of the light that shines in the darkness, a light that cannot be overcome. May our actions in Algoma—however small they seem—be signs of that light: peace, healing, and hope.
Ten years on from the Calls to Action, we must ask ourselves: What progress have we made? What work remains unfinished? Where have we resisted the Spirit’s call to reconciliation, and where have we been faithful? These questions are not meant to paralyze us with guilt but to sharpen our resolve to keep walking the road of truth and reconciliation, step by step, in the company of Christ, the true Light of the world.
The Survivors’ Flag
This year I have ordered one of the Survivors’ Flags, which the Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada has encouraged every parish and community to consider displaying. This flag, designed by Survivors, honours the children who never returned home, the families left behind, and the Survivors who live with the legacy of the residential schools.
I hope parishes will prayerfully consider how the Survivors’ Flag might be incorporated into local witness—whether displayed on September 30, on the National Indigenous Day of Prayer in June, or at other times according to parish custom. However it is used, the flag reminds us of truth, memory, and our shared call to reconciliation.
Walking Together
In 2021, when Canada marked its first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, I wrote: “It is a day for us to confess our failure to live up to the Gospel of Jesus, who took children in his arms and blessed them.” That confession still stands. In 2022, writing to the Children of Shingwauk Alumni, I said: “We know that words alone are insufficient, so we have committed ourselves to education about the 94 Calls to Action and to working in practical ways to help Survivors and their families move forward.” That commitment still stands.
Now, in 2025, I invite us to walk together in the light of Christ, guided by the teachings of humility, respect, love, and knowledge. Let us be doers of reconciliation, not only hearers of it. Let us be people who honour the Survivors’ stories not only with our words but with our actions. Let us be people who let our light shine, not only on September 30, but every day.
May God, who is faithful, grant us the courage to walk humbly, to act justly, and to love tenderly as we continue this journey.
With every blessing,
+Anne: Algoma
Archbishop of Algoma