Remembering the victims of Kamloops Residential School
If you are feeling pain or distress because of your residential school experiences, please call the free 24-hour crisis line: 1-866-925-4419. You can also call the First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness Help Line at 1-855-242-3310. It’s toll-free and open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Earlier this month, the undocumented and unmarked graves of 215 children were discovered on the site of Kamloops Residential School. Like you, this news has filled us with feelings of sorrow, concern, and outrage.
Our connection to the United Church of Canada – which operated 15 Residential Schools – gives us the responsibility to move towards Truth and Reconciliation with our Indigenous neighbours. At this time, we are listening and seeking the wisdom of our Indigenous neighbours and intergenerational survivors of the Residential School system.
We ask that you take the time to read a message from the The Rt. Rev. Dr. Richard Bott, Moderator and The Rev. Murray Pruden, Executive Minister of Indigenous Ministries and Justice at The United Church of Canada. Please click here to read the message. This National Indigenous Peoples Day, we are reminded that the harm and damage that the Residential Schools have caused to our Indigenous neighbours is not a matter of history: it is still present and persistent today. We ask that you join us in remembering the victims of Residential Schools, and how we may seek Truth and Reconciliation together.
