Churches Beyond Borders calls for education, solidarity around Doctrine of Discovery on Orange Shirt Day

Churches Beyond Borders—comprising The Episcopal Church, Anglican Church of Canada, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada—is calling for a day of commemoration, truth, and healing on September 30, 2021, otherwise known as Orange Shirt Day, in solidarity with Indigenous people and other marginalized communities.

The coalition released a statement on September 23, 2021, titled “Telling and Teaching the Truth: The Church’s Obligation to Education about the Ongoing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery,” signed by the leaders of the four churches, including Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. A Spanish translation, “Diciendo y enseñando la verdad: La obligación de la Iglesia con la educación en relación con la herencia persistente de la doctrina del descubrimiento,” is also available.

All church members are invited to wear orange on Thursday, September 30, as well as to worship services on Sunday, September 26, “as a sign of remembering, solidarity, and commitment to seeking healing.” September 30 is Orange Shirt Day, a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission Residential School Commemoration Project and Reunion events that took place in British Columbia, Canada, in 2013, that were designed to honor the healing journey of residential school survivors and their families.

Orange Shirt Day

Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) Residential School (1891-1981) Commemoration Project and Reunion events that took place in Williams Lake, BC, Canada, in May 2013. This project was the vision of Esketemc (Alkali Lake) Chief Fred Robbins, who is a former student himself.  It brought together former students and their families from the Secwepemc, Tsilhqot’in, Southern Dakelh and St’at’imc  Nations along with the Cariboo Regional District, the Mayors and municipalities, School Districts and civic organizations in the Cariboo Region.

Read the reason for calling the annual remembrance Orange Shirt Day.

Doctrine of Discovery

What is the Doctrine of Discovery? Read General Convention renounces Doctrine of Discovery to find out more.

The Episcopal Church repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery in Resolution D035 at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in 2009.

Church of the Redeemer

Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.