Truth and Reconciliation Group
12 December 2024
To mark the National Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples, the Canadian Catholic
Indigenous Council (CCIC) recalls the profound sorrow expressed by Pope Francis, during his Penitential
Pilgrimage to Canada in July 2022, for the catastrophic effects of the residential school system on Indigenous
communities, as well as the journey of reconciliation and healing we have embarked upon together. Two years
later, the Pope’s words still compel us to recognize this painful legacy and walk alongside the Indigenous
Peoples in a spirit of repentance, solidarity, and hope.
We contemplate the Holy Father’s words: “The Church is the house where we conciliate anew, where we meet
to start over and to grow together”. This vision of the Church as a “living body of reconciliation” has guided
us in our ongoing commitment to justice and healing. In this spirit, we reaffirm our pledge to work for healing
and reconciliation, and to reflect on our efforts since the Holy Father’s visit to Canada in 2022.
Together we pray:
O God, Creator and Father of all,
with humility and hope, we, your children, acknowledge the relationship in You
of all living things.
For this we thank You and praise You.
We call on You, Great Mystery, our God who comes to us
in Jesus Christ, Your Son – our Lord, teacher, prophet and brother –
to open our minds and hearts as we continue to walk the difficult,
yet critical journey of reconciliation and healing.
In our world of such blessed diversity,
we see so many struggles and obstacles to oneness and unity.
We implore You to heal our brokenness and division. Show us in Jesus the way to
unity among the multiplicity of Your peoples in our world.
We also pray that You will guide and lead us in the Truth,
and show us how to be a people who walk with You. May we be a people
of Respect, Humility, Courage, Honesty, and Compassion - as we find Your Wisdom on the Spirit-led journey that supports deep healing and fosters
renewed relationships.
Lord, make us channels of Your Peace, Hope, and Love!
+Amen
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The Holy Name Truth and Reconciliation group invites you to a reception in the church hall after Mass on Sunday, Nov. 17th, 2024.
Our guest speaker will be Michael Swan.
Michael is a Catholic journalist, recently retired from The Catholic Register.
He has written extensively about what he has heard from Indigenous and non-Indigenous people about the role of the Church in Canadian history and Pope Francis’ visit to Canada to seek forgiveness.
You can read more about Michael’s reflection on the Papal visit here:
Michael and his wife Yone are parishioners at Our Lady of Lourdes parish. We hope you’ll join us in making them feel welcome at Holy Name on Nov. 17th, 2024.
If you are able to contribute a food donation for this reception, we thank you in advance.
Please email Jen Miles at jen.miles.is@rogers.com to let her know what you can bring.
We look forward to seeing you after Mass on the 17th for what promises to be a thoughtful and hopeful conversation with Michael.
We invite you to explore these resources and join in on our shared learning journey. Our next meeting will be in January, at which time we have committed to share reflections on what we have read over the holidays.
Truth and Reconciliation Community Suggested Reading List 17Dec2021.pdf
