Orange Shirt Day
Orange Shirt Day is an event, created in 2013, designed to educate people and promote awareness in Canada about the Indian residential school system and the impact it has had on Indigenous communities for over a century - an impact recognized as a cultural genocide, and an impact that continues today. It is held annually on September 30 in Canadian communities, especially in schools, where people are encouraged to wear an orange shirt.
O God, Great Spirit and Creator,
we praise You for Your gifts that surround us -
for the gift of the land
that gives us food, shelter, and water;
for the gift of the sun
that gives warmth and light to all that grows;
for the gifts of the moon & stars
which You have arranged for Your glory;
for the gifts of language & culture,
through which Your peoples praise You and share the most deeply held values You have engraved on their hearts.
Come upon us, O Divine Healer,
and open our eyes to the injustices brought against our Indigenous peoples, their languages and cultures, in Canada’s Indian Residential Schools.
Give us repentant hearts
that ache with sorrow for their violence against First Nations, Métis, and Inuit families and their children.
Give us determined hearts
that refuse to stand by when the dignity of our Indigenous brothers and sisters is trampled.
Give us healing hearts
that beat with the drum of Jesus’ Gospel, to defend and honour our Indigenous neighbour, their language and way of life.
Give us flaming hearts
that burn with love for You, Who come to us in every human face; in every language and culture; in every gift of creation.
Our Lady of Guadalupe,
pray for us.