Orange Shirt Sunday!

Members of St. Paul's wore an orange shirt to church on Sunday, September 30 to honour residential school survivors and the children who did not survive Canada’s painful residential school system.  We joined Anglicans in the Diocese of British Columbia in support of the 6th annual Orange Shirt Day and helped to raise awareness of the need for First Nations, local governments, schools and communities to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope.

About Orange Shirt Day

Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) residential school commemoration event held in Williams Lake, BC, Canada, in the spring of 2013. It grew out of Phyllis' story of having her shiny new orange shirt taken away 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 it is the time of year in which children were taken from their homes to residential schools, and because it is an opportunity to set the stage for anti-racism and anti-bullying policies for the coming school year. It also gives teachers time to plan events that will include children to ensure that we are passing the story and learning on to the next generations.

For more information visit orangeshirtday.org