Wellington Square’s “Journey for Justice” is a congregational journey of learning and doing. As followers of the risen Christ, we know that we are called to be people who bring justice, enact mercy, and love humbly all God’s people. Yet often, we struggle to understand the complexities of the injustices around us and what we can do within our sphere of influence. So, we need to learn, and we need to act.
Our current focus as a congregation is on learning about Indigenous issues and working to raise justice concerns that impact Indigenous people around us. We were, of course, rocked by the finding of 215 bodies at Kamloops Indian Residential School, but it only deepened our commitment to the journey we are on.
We were a part of the residential school injustice. What have we done?
Terri-Lynn Ledger June14, 2021 The news of the Kamloops residential school graves discovery continues to flood my mind, and my heart… How can we process such a thing? Layering in the fact that the United Church of Canada was a part of this unfathomable piece of Canadian history makes this even more challenging to piece […]
I see the injustice. What can I do? [Part II]
Rob Irish June 7, 2021 The Children are Alive! And need our support While most attention this past week has been focused quite rightly on the horrific and tragic findings at Kamloops Indian Residential School, there is an abuse of children unfolding in front of us, yet we are almost entirely unaware. This relates to […]
I see the injustice. What can I do? [Part I]
Rob Irish June 3, 2021 Moving at the Speed of Trust Like all of you, I was aghast at the discovery of the remains of 215 children under the grounds of the Kamloops Indian Residential School. But, as United Church Moderator Richard Bott noted in his prayer following the discovery: O God, we are horrified. […]
What We Did Not Learn in School
May30, 2021 Rob Irish On Friday, May 28th 2021, the Honourable Murray Sinclair spoke to three regions of the United Church about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the history of Residential Schools in Canada. Mr. Sinclair, who is a former senator and former Manitoba judge, chaired the TRC from 2009-2015. He is Anishinaabe […]
Seeking Restorative Justice
by Rob Irish Between May 17 and 20th, I had the opportunity to attend part of the conference put on by Citizens for Public Justice, a faith-based justice organization. One session, entitled “Lessons from Indigenous Spirituality,” was led by Rev. Dr. Ray Aldred, a professor at Vancouver School of Theology and a Cree from Swan […]