The five Catholic bishops of B.C. are launching a province-wide appeal to raise funds for healing and reconciliation efforts with Indigenous people.

In a statement released July 26, the bishops said the appeal will formally launch in September 2021 and more details will be provided at that time. 

The effort will involve the Archdiocese of Vancouver and the Dioceses of Kamloops, Nelson, Prince George, and Victoria.

The statement said “The Catholic bishops of British Columbia recognize the need for a province-wide initiative to raise funds to support healing and reconciliation among Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.”

Further details will be provided for the appeal, which formally launches in September 2021, although online donations can be made now. 

“The goal of the Campaign is to support residential school survivors and Indigenous communities in our province as part of our ongoing response to the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action,” said the statement. “This includes projects that promote healing and reconciliation.”

Each bishop will consult with Indigenous leadership, survivors, elders, and other community members, said the statement.

“The bishops of British Columbia sincerely hope that this Campaign will help to restore trust and further the ongoing journey to truth and reconciliation,” the bishops said.

The announcement comes on the heels of promises from Catholic leaders in other provinces to raise funds for reconciliation efforts as Canadians grapple with the effects of residential schools and seek answers about unmarked graves identified on former school sites.

The Catholic bishops of Saskatchewan began taking donations July 13 for healing and reconciliation efforts, education and cultural support, and the study of cemeteries on the sites of former residential schools. They said funds will be distributed in discussion with Indigenous leaders.

“The overall goal of this campaign is to support Residential School survivors and their communities, and to engage more deeply in our own ongoing commitment and response to the Truth and Reconciliation process,” they wrote.

Following recent announcements about unmarked graves on former residential schools, including at Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Catholic bishops had previously sent a message to Indigenous leaders, committing to stand by them. “We are here to listen to you as you communicate those ways we can walk with you in addressing the Calls to Action, rebuilding relations, addressing issues of justice, and working towards a more just society.”

The Diocese of Calgary and the Archdiocese of Toronto have also recently pledged to launch financial appeals among the faithful, though neither diocese operated area residential schools. The schools were run by religious orders such as the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

Nevertheless, said a Toronto archdiocese statement, “we have a responsibility to take to take genuine and meaningful steps to journey with Indigenous communities on the path to reconciliation, and to assist in healing the trauma experienced from the residential school system.”

Catholics for Truth and Reconciliation, an online group created by registered clinical counsellor Jody Garneau, is urging Catholics to take action in the wake of recent developments.

“As Catholics, we know that upholding the dignity of the human person, created in the image and likeness of God, is central to our faith. We acknowledge that this central tenet of the faith was violated by those involved in the Residential School system and in the wider abuses that Indigenous peoples have suffered through colonization,” said a message on the group’s website.

Garneau, a member of the Archdiocese of Vancouver’s registry of Catholic and Christian counsellors, said the group wants to raise funds to show Catholics in Canada “can do better than our best-efforts collection when we were excused from paying $21 million of the $25 million allocated for the Indian Residential School Survivor Agreement.”

The group’s website at catholics4tr.com invites Catholics to donate to bishop-led initiatives or various First Nations organizations, educate themselves about Canada’s history, write to local politicians, and take other actions.



With files from Catholic Saskatoon News.