I am writing this article from a hotel in Seattle where I am meeting with the Episcopal Church’s Commission on Resolution A127: a resolution for “Telling the Truth about The Episcopal Church’s History with Indigenous Boarding Schools.” The Commission is co-chaired by our own Pearl Chanar (Minto) and Warren Hawk (S.D. Sioux). Around the table are Indigenous and Native people from around the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion including Ojibwe, Navajo, Māori, Hawaiian, and Cherokee. Anna Frank and Eliza Winfrey are also at the table.
The Commission has been charged with an extraordinary piece of work. Just getting a scope of the Episcopal Church’s direct involvement in Boarding Schools is an enormous task. The Diocese of Alaska has begun working on this task in response to a resolution passed at our Diocesan Convention in 2020. That research work goes on as it does across the Episcopal Church.
What inspires me also is hearing these extraordinary people talk about the work of healing–reclaiming the values of their sacred identity and traditions. For me, this work is both about healing human lives, but also healing the self-inflicted wounds the church has committed on its proclamation of the Gospel.
It is sacred and holy work, and I am humbled to be part of it.
Diocesan Convention this year adopted a resolution supporting my advocacy for the passage of Senate Bill S.1723: establishing the “Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies.” You can find S.1723 by clicking Here
I ask your prayers for this work and your prayers for healing.
