Author: stfranciskw

Today is the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, and a day which has been celebrated by Indigenous Peoples for thousands of years. In Canada we celebrate not only the solstice today, but also the legacy and traditions of the Indigenous Peoples. Unfortunately with the continuing concerns of COVID-19 there are not as many local events we can go to this year. However, there are many ways you can still celebrate today in solidarity with our Indigenous brothers and sisters. This year the day is all the more important given the recent discovery in Kamloops which has re-awoken us to the realities of our shared history and re-ignited our desire to live and learn together better.

In addition to the marketplace advertised above, The Healing of the Seven Generations has many more events and initiatives you can check out on their website and facebook page.

The Federal Government of Canada has also created a webpage for this day which includes many education resources, as well as an activity booklet for celebrating with your children. You can visit their website and download the booklet using the links below.

Finally, we invite you to check out APTN’s Indigenous Peoples Day Live performance, featuring many of Turtle Island’s established and emerging Indigenous artists in a new and creative way. The event is broadcast on APTN today from 2:30 – 6pm, or visit their website to stream it for free until June 22.

We have all been bombarded these last weeks with so many examples of hatred in our world, hatred that not only harms, but kills. It can feel like hatred is winning, but it does not have to. Remember, we at St. Francis of Assisi Parish are people of the Resurrection and of hope. What can we do? We can each live lives filled with love, in every person we encounter in our daily lives we can see Jesus and we can treat them with the respect and love they deserve. The Inshallah Community Choir recorded an anthem called We Resist. We invite you to listen to their song below, we hope it will inspire us all to pray for peace and live lives of love.

A note from Bishop Crosby, OMI:

THE TRAGIC ACT OF HATRED which occurred in London this week has heightened our awareness of the presence of Islamophobia in our communities. An increase in Anti-Semitic attacks across the country is also troubling. The Executive Committee of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued a statement calling for an end to religious violence in Canada, most especially Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism. See the statement here.