The September she was six years old, Phyllis Webstad arrived for her first day of school at the St. Joseph Mission Residential School wearing a shiny, new orange shirt—a gift from her grandmother. It was immediately taken away from her and never returned, replaced with an institutional uniform identical to the rest. Forty years later, at a reunion that brought together former students and their families as part of the healing journey, Phyllis shared the memory as she talked about her experience.  

“The colour orange has always reminded me of that and how my feelings didn’t matter,” she reflected, “how no one cared and how I felt like I was worth nothing. All of us little children were crying and no one cared.”1  

As she spoke, Orange Shirt Day was born. What began as a grass roots movement in 2013 in Williams Lake, BC, was recognized as a federal statutory holiday in 2021. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is now observed annually on September 30 as a way to remember and honour residential school survivors and the children who never came home, and to encourage the ongoing work of truth and reconciliation. 

 An Invitation to Embody Christ’s Love in Action 

Earlier this month, a group of Acadia Divinity College (ADC) faculty, staff, and denominational partners travelled to Manitoba to participate in a conference hosted by the Canadian Learning Community (CLC) for Decolonization and Innovation in Theological Education. The keynote speaker for the conference was Dr. Niigaan Sinclair, an Anishinaabe scholar and activist whose father, the Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair, served as chief commissioner for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC). His lecture was entitled “Five Reasons Why Jesus Would Wear an Orange Shirt.”  

He spoke to us of a Jesus who routinely moved toward the margins, reaching out to include those who are excluded, standing in solidarity with those who suffer, and letting every child come to him. He challenged us to follow this example, understanding the TRC’s Calls to Action not as performative or symbolic items to be checked off a list, but rather as an invitation to embody Christ’s ongoing, relational, transformative love in action. 

Our Response & Commitment  

For more than a decade, ADC has been on a journey of learning how to walk in a good way with our Indigenous neighbours and respond well to the TRC’s Calls to Action. Partnering collaboratively with other seminaries from across the country in the work of the CLC is just one example of how we are engaged in this ongoing effort.  

As part of our commitment to equip graduates to minister well in the complex, multicultural contexts of post-TRC Canada, a thoughtful curricular review has led to revised program outcomes that better integrate Indigenous ways of knowing, as well as the creation of a new MDiv specialization in Indigenous Studies, designed to prepare students to serve with intercultural humility, contributing toward healing and reconciliation.  

Among the micro-credential courses available to alumni and ministry leaders through ADC Expand, there is a self-paced course on “Faithful Neighbouring in a Post-TRC Canada” that equips Christian ministry leaders to understand the histories, theologies, and relationships influencing Indigenous-Christian engagement in Canada, so they can begin to move from good intention to faithful action in their own ministry contexts.  

The hillside in front of the College building is currently under construction to create an outdoor learning space, designed in consultation with local Mi’kmaw Elders, that will provide a new way to connect our community with Creator and the College with the broader university campus.  

And through an agreement signed with the University’s Office of L’Nu Affairs and Indigenization, the ADC Board has signalled its own ongoing commitment to continue pursuing right relationship with the Indigenous communities around us. 

“The task of this moment is immense,” says ADC President Anna Robbins. “We believe the moment is urgent for the church. The seminary as the seedbed for pastoral ministry is best placed to facilitate creative and energetic responses. Decolonizing education and ministry opens the door to discover the unique contextual relevance of good news for all.” 

Walking in a Good & Faithful Way 

How will you mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation this year? Across the country, people will be wearing orange shirts, gathering for commemorative ceremonies, and participating in walks of remembrance.  

To aid in our own ongoing learning and truthful remembering, ADC has created an interactive, narrative timeline that sketches a partial outline of the history of this land, intertwining the stories of the Mi’kmaq and other Indigenous peoples, European colonization, and the Baptists of Atlantic Canada. Woven throughout the timeline are reflective prayers from ADC faculty to help guide your learning.  

We invite you to use this timeline as a tool in your own learning journey as together we seek to walk in a good and faithful way, reflecting our Creator’s heart for transformative love and justice.    

Dr. Deborah Shadd serves as Director of Educational Innovation at Acadia Divinity College.