Every Child Matters
Bell Ringing 6th June
Catie Oates-Hill
June 5, 2021
Every Child Matters
In response to the news from the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation announcement, that the remains of 215 children were found in a mass unmarked grave at the former residential school in Kamloops, the Cathedral, Victoria and Christ Church, Alert Bay, will both be ringing their bells 215 times at noon on Sunday to honour them. St. Mike's has been invited to ring our bell. We will also wear our orange shirts, in honour of all the children who did not return.
This initiative began with a conversation with our friend, Marvin Underwood, from Holy Trinity, North Saanich. We are working together with the Synod Office to find ways to grieve and honour the children.
Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission residential school commemoration event held in Williams Lake in the spring of 2013. It grew out of Phyllis’s account of losing her shiny new orange shirt on her first day of school at the Mission, and it has become an opportunity to keep the discussion on all aspects of residential schools happening annually. The date was chosen because children are back in school and teachers have time to plan, and because it is an opportunity to set the stage for anti-racism and anti-bullying policies for the year. Orange Shirt Day is also an opportunity for First Nations, local governments, schools and community agencies to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come.