Sacred Fire Ceremony for Orange Shirt Day and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

On September 30, 2024, the Indigenous Health Education Committee at St. Joseph’s Care Group (SJCG) in Thunder Bay, Ontario, will observe Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

This day is dedicated to creating awareness and encouraging conversations about the Residential School System and its lasting impact on Indigenous People in Canada.

For the fourth consecutive year, the Committee will host a Sacred Fire ceremony, guided by the Elders Advisory Council, Ogichidaa Onaakonigwein. The Sacred Fire will be held at the Medicine Wheel Garden at the Sister Margaret Smith Centre and will be continuously tended by Fire Keepers, Knowledge Keepers, Elders, and members of the N’doo’owe Binesi Indigenous Health division at SJCG. Activities and teachings will take place throughout the event, and this year, the ceremony will expand to include community members, featuring a Feast, the Big Drum with Singers, and Jingle Dress Dancers.

Funding from the Indigenous Reconciliation Fund (IRF) will cover the expenses of the four-day event. This includes honorariums for the Big Drum with Singers, Elders, and Jingle Dress Dancers, as well as food and beverages for approximately 150 participants for the duration of the ceremony.

A Sacred Fire is an Indigenous ceremony to bring healing and connection by acknowledging the ancestors and creating pathways towards cultural revitalization and reclamation. The ceremony is also an opportunity for lndigenous and non-Indigenous people to come together to learn and build relationships in the spirit of truth and reconciliation.

Diocese of Thunder Bay