06/11/2026
Bishop’s Pastoral Letter for the National Indigenous Day of Prayer
June 21, 2026
Dear Friends in Christ,
On the longest day of the year, we mark National Indigenous Peoples’ Day. June 21, 2026, falls on a Sunday, inviting the whole Church to gather in prayer and praise on the very day many Indigenous peoples have long held sacred as the turning of the light. The psalmist declares that the heavens tell the glory of God, and on the Solstice, we are invited to listen again to that ancient testimony written across sky, sea, and stone.
The National Indigenous Day of Prayer is the Church’s way of answering that testimony. It is a day to give thanks for the spiritual wisdom and cultural gifts Indigenous peoples have brought - and continue to bring - to the Anglican Church of Canada. It is also a day of honest confession: we acknowledge the wounds inflicted through colonialism and the residential school system, and we recommit ourselves, in Christ, to the hard and holy work of right relationship. The path is not quick or easy, but it is the way the Risen Lord calls us to walk together.
Here in our Diocese, we give thanks for the Indigenous people in our parishes whose ministries embody a deep reverence for the Creator and a lived commitment to the land and its people. Through the Sacred Circle and under the leadership of National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop Christopher Harper, we are learning what it means to be one Church with many expressions of faith. These relationships are not add-ons to our life; they are part of the very fabric of who we are becoming as disciples of Jesus in this place.
On Sunday, June 21, I invite every parish to make the National Indigenous Day of Prayer part of its worship. The Anglican Church of Canada has prepared rich liturgical resources for you to use that speak of journeying together in partnership and root us again in the Creator’s good gifts. These may be found at:
https://www.anglican.ca/resources/propers-national-indigenous-day-of-prayer-june-21/
I also encourage the use of our Diocesan Land Acknowledgement at the beginning of worship on June 21:
As we gather in this space today and commit to sharing time together, we should consider for a few moments the land on which we gather. While we think about this land, we also consider the air we breathe, the golden rays of sunshine, and even the fog, rain, and snow in these parts. For Mother Earth, her lands, her waters, and the air we breathe are the gifts she provides. We respectfully acknowledge the Island of Newfoundland as the homelands of the Beothuk and Mi’kmaq. We also respectfully acknowledge Labrador as the homelands of the Inuit and the Innu. Let us take a moment to acknowledge all First Peoples of this land. It is this land that sustains us, and we should open our hearts and minds to the past, live in the present, and commit to building a better future for all in the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation.
As we honour this important day, may we do so as a sign of the deeper conversion to which Christ continually calls us. May the same Spirit who hovered over the waters at the beginning of creation breathe fresh life into our relationships with Indigenous peoples and with the land itself. And may the peace of the One who reconciles all things in heaven and things on earth guard our hearts and guide our steps in the days ahead.
In Peace and Love,
The Right Rev. Samuel Rose
Bishop
Diocese of the Anglican Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland & Labrador
To download this letter, visit:https://anglicanenl.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Bishops-Letter-National-Indigenous-Peoples-Day-2026.pdf
