The aim of Circles for Reconciliation is to establish trusting, meaningful relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples as part of the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
The means to achieve this is the creation of small gatherings of an equal number of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in discussion circles.
Every Circle needs five Indigenous and five non-Indigenous participants. Relationships are built by equal voices.
This learning and prayer guide has been developed to help raise awareness for the impact of residential schools on Aboriginal Peoples in Canada, and to offer the opportunity for intentional prayer as you are guided through the TRC’s Calls to Action and additional relevant information and resources. Let this expression of faith and hope in action renew our hearts and minds so that by the Spirit of our Creator God, we may honour one another as image-bearers and be reconciled.
A rich document called Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future: Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) deepens our understanding of some of the heart cries of Canada’s Aboriginal population. Aboriginal history is exceptionally complex and cannot be summarized in a few pages. The T&R Commission has done an excellent job of contextualizing the 94 Calls to Actions in their final report.
We encourage you to visit the TRC website and read through the Executive Summary to understand the context of each call to action.