Schools across Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board are preparing to mark National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Orange Shirt Day, on September 30, with a range of age-appropriate activities from assemblies to art installations, in the hope that it stirs truth and healing conversations, which will go well beyond just one day.
The Catholic Education Centre along with Assumption Middle and High Schools will also host a gathering inviting local Indigenous “Aunties” and knowledge holders to speak. September 30th is not a celebration but a time of solemn commemoration, offering a moment of quiet reflection to bring this dark part of Canada’s history to light.
On his penitential pilgrimage across Canada in July of this year, the Pope Francis said: “I humbly beg forgiveness for the evil and atrocities committed by so many, in the residential schools system, against Indigenous peoples."
Throughout our Board, we will be encouraging students and staff to wear orange - a visual reminder of that deplorable history.
This day is about honouring and respecting survivors of the residential schools system, understanding the continued legacies and intergenerational trauma of their families and our local community. It’s also about taking action- performing and participating in acts that promote truth, remorse and healing on our journey to reconciliation.
As part of honouring September 30th, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Indigenous Education at WECDSB is providing each school with a cedar tree. Cedar, one of the four sacred medicines in many Indigenous cultures, is considered the “Tree of Life” and is known for its strength, endurance, resilience and especially now, for its healing properties. We felt it appropriate to provide one cedar tree for each school, as a symbol of our need for healing on this shared journey with our Indigenous families, on the road to Truth and Reconciliation.