Sunday Bulletin: 21 June 2026
In 1971 the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada declared June 21 as a “National Indian Day of Prayer” and requested all dioceses to commend this day to parishes and congregations throughout Canada. In 1995, participants of the Sacred Assembly in Hull, Quebec – a national meeting of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people – revived an earlier campaign to observe June 21 as a national day to recognize the contributions of Indigenous Peoples to Canada. The summer solstice, the longest day of the year, falls on June 21. For generations, this was a sacred day for many Aboriginal people on which they celebrated their culture and heritage. On June 13, 1996, Governor General Romeo Leblanc declared June 21 National Aboriginal Day.
In Winnipeg in 1994, representatives of the Indigenous people gathered and made a Covenant to build a truly Anglican Indigenous Church in Canada, claiming their place and responsibility “as equal partners in a new shared journey of healing, moving towards wholeness and justice.”
In July of 2001, the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada commended for study and implementation the working document A New Agape: A Plan of Anglican Work in Support of a New Partnership between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Anglicans. This plan expresses the commitment of the Anglican Church of Canada to a new relationship with the Indigenous Peoples of Canada based on a partnership that focuses on the cultural, spiritual, social and economic independence of Indigenous communities.
Since the mid-1990s, the Faith, Worship and Ministry department and the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples have worked together to develop worship resources for the National Aboriginal Day of Prayer, now the National Indigenous Day of Prayer. The observance was later added to the calendar in the Book of Alternative Services by the General Synod 2010 under the heading of “Other Major Feasts That Take Precedence of a Sunday”, reflecting its significance across the Anglican Church of Canada and the Church’s commitment to its ongoing celebration.