Since 2002, the Canadian Church has celebrated December 12 as the National Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples. This day is organized with the support of the Canadian Catholic Aboriginal Council. The Council usually publishes a message for the day which is distributed to all dioceses and is also available on the CCCB website and in the publications Prions en Église and Living with Christ.
It is an invitation to stand in solidarity with all Indigenous peoples of Canada in prayer and thought and to take action to learn to live better together.
In addition to the reflection that the annual message provokes, various activities are organized to promote solidarity with Indigenous peoples. The organization Mission chez nous, a work of the Assemblée des évêques du Québec, seeks to promote Christian solidarity with Indigenous peoples.
The organization has produced a resource sheet to prepare for this day of awareness and reflection (French only). This reference document can also be used at another time of the year. The resource sheet explores the theme: Can we reconcile without meeting or telling the truth to each other?
Let us remember in closing that this day, December 12, coincides with the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (the name given to the Virgin Mary), patroness of the Americas. She appeared in 1531 in Mexico as an Aztec princess to a humble native peasant, Juan Diego.