Church reflections on anniversary of unmarked burial findings


Please contact the 24-Hour Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419 if you require emotional support. For more information and support, visit the First Nations Health Authority.

A year ago, on May 27 the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation announced that 215 unmarked graves had been located on the grounds of the former Kamloops Residential School. While the news surprised many Canadians, it confirmed what the people of Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc and other Indigenous people have known for years.

Speaking to its own residential school operations, the Presbyterian Church in Canada writes: “The harm they did to generations of students and their families did not end when they closed; rather, their legacy of trauma continues today.”

The United Church of Canada moderator reflects: “Over this past year First Nation, Inuit, and Métis leaders have again shouldered the burden of revealing the hard truths of our shared history. For decades, Indigenous survivors of residential institutions have kept alive the memories of their childhood friends and relatives, the children who went missing and never returned home.”

The following are reflections by KAIROS member churches to mark this anniversary, and to remind us of the work needed to bring about reconciliation and to decolonize.  

Presbyterian Church in Canada 

Anniversary of Announcement Regarding Unmarked Burials at Former Kamloops Residential School 

United Church of Canada 

Moderator’s Message – That The Truth Will Not Be Forgotten

Message from Indigenous Ministries and Justice


Filed in: Indigenous Rights

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