Last May, Kúkpi7 (Chief) Rosanne Casimir announced to the world that ground-penetrating radar found the remains of up to 215 people buried at an unmarked site at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Across Canada, hundreds of more suspected graves connected to Indian Residential Schools are being confirmed.
For the Indigenous community, the announcement confirmed what had been spoken about—deaths and disappearances of children who attended residential schools. The announcement reopened the pain and the trauma for many, and grief and sorrow overshadowed the community.
Following the announcement, Patricia Victor, TWU University Siyá:m, led four prayer vigils to uphold Indigenous peoples in strength, comfort, hope and healing, and to call faith communities to lament and to seek truth and reconciliation. “By walking together in a good way, we will walk the path of truth and healing, and wholeness will come to all of us,” she stated.
The TWU community gathered to remember and to pray at the outdoor chapel on June 8 and 10, 2021. A renewed sense of what it means to walk together in a good way emerged.
These campus prayer vigils were followed by a university-wide Day of Learning on September 30, 2021, the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
“By walking together in a good way, we will walk the path of truth and healing, and wholeness will come to all of us.”
For non-Indigenous people, Kúkpi7 Casimir’s announcement became a catalyst for wanting to learn more about Canada’s hidden history.
Let us continue to remember, to pray, and to walk together in a good way.
Some ways to remember and continue the journey towards reconciliation include:
- Attend the B.C. Walk in the Spirit of Reconciliation event — May 27-29, 2022
The Walk in the Spirit of Reconciliation event is an ecumenical event in partnership with the Christian Reformed Church, Diocese of New Westminster, Langley Mennonite Fellowship Church, Mennonite Church British Columbia, Mennonite Central Committee BC, St Nicholas Roman Catholic Church, United Churches of Langley, and Willoughby Christian Reformed Church. Details can be found here.
- Hold 215 minutes of personal silence to remember the 215 missing children.
- Have conversations with family, colleagues, church and community about the history of colonization, which includes Indian residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, the reserve system, and the Indian Act.
- Contact a Member of Parliament to express support for implementing all of the Truth and Reconciliation report’s calls to action, including those relating to missing children and burial information.
- Consider donating to organizations supporting residential school survivors, such as the Indian Residential Schools Survivors Society or the Legacy of Hope Foundation.
- Discover and read Indigenous books and poetry for adults, youth and children. Take a look at documentaries such as "We Were Children," books such as Pathways of Reconciliation, or read the Truth and Reconciliation reports.
Trinity Western University 215 Remembrance: May 26, 10 a.m.
On Thursday, May 26 at 10 a.m., TWU will host a time of prayer and remembrance at the Langley campus bell tower (outside of the Norma Marion Alloway Library).
We invite the TWU community to join us, as we stand with the Indigenous community in mourning.
University Siyá:m Patti Victor will lead this time of prayer, following which the Library bell tower chimes will ring out 215 times to symbolize lives lost.
See also — TWU community remembers Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls through ceremony
TWU News
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier global Christian liberal arts university. We are dedicated to equipping students to discover meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. Drawing upon the riches of the Christian tradition, seeking to unite faith and reason through teaching and scholarship, Trinity Western University is a degree-granting research institution offering liberal arts and sciences as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has four campuses and locations: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, and Ottawa. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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Photo credit: Kayla Bock