Fatherlike he tends and spares us;
well our feeble frame he knows.
- Praise, my soul, the King of heaven
A group of residential school survivors and their supporters are asking the federal government to reverse what they're calling a funding cut and come up with more money to help find the unmarked graves of students who went to these institutions. The request comes the same day Canada marks the fourth annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, established in 2021 to honor the survivors of residential schools, and the children who never came home from them.
The Survivors' Secretariat, which is parsing through decades-old records and searching the grounds of the former Mohawk Institute near Brantford, Ont., is leading the charge against a series of changes that Ottawa announced earlier this year that it says will reduce the total pool of money available to Indigenous communities to document residential school atrocities and deaths.
The issue first moved to the forefront of the national agenda after the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation said in 2021 that preliminary findings from a radar survey of the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School indicated over 200 children could be buried on the site in B.C. In the wake of those stunning claims, the federal government earmarked $209.8 million in Budget 2022 to support Indigenous communities who wanted to carry out their own investigations and "document, locate and memorialize burial sites." That money has already funded 146 projects, including research and ground searches.
God of justice and peace, we pray for resolution. For so long, these tragic histories have weighed heavily on the nation coming to terms with its past. Move the hearts of those in power to restore funding and support the search for unmarked graves. May truth be revealed, healing begin, and the memories of the lost be honoued. For peace, justice, and truth, we pray.
The death toll from Hurricane Helene is still climbing as Americans across the Southeast count the cost of last week's massive storm. At least 121 people were killed as Helene traveled northwards from the Gulf Coast, The Associated Press reported Monday. The storm made landfall Thursday night as a Category 4 hurricane in Florida's Big Bend region with sustained winds of 140 mph. Helene intensified as it approached the U.S. coast, bringing with it devastating winds, massive flooding and enormous storm surge. In North Carolina, extreme floods washed away homes and bridges. At one point, authorities closed 400 roads deeming them unsafe for travel. "This is an unprecedented tragedy that requires an unprecedented response," North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said. In Asheville, there has been no cell service or water supply for several days. Zeb Smathers -- the mayor of Canton, to the west of Asheville -- told "Good Morning America" the situation was "apocalyptic, not just for Canton, but the entire region." The area is suffering from a total cell phone "blackout," Smathers said, meaning residents are unable to check on loved ones or urge those at risk from further flooding to evacuate.
The devastation is breathtaking, Lord. The images from the southeast - from Tampa to Ashville, from Florida’s coastline to Appalachia - show so many of our friends, neighbors, sisters, and brothers amidst such destruction. We pray for those lost and their families as they begin the recovery amidst power outages and lack basic services.
On Tuesday, Israeli ground forces invaded southern Lebanon for the first time in nearly two decades, as the military ordered evacuations of more than two dozen villages at the start of an uncertain new phase of its decades-long conflict with Hezbollah. The Israeli military said early Tuesday that its forces had crossed into Lebanon in an operation aimed at targets belonging to the Iranian-backed militia in the rugged border region. It said that one army division — which typically numbers more than 10,000 soldiers — was involved in conducting “limited, localized and targeted raids” along the border, although it was unclear how many of those troops had crossed into Lebanon.
Please, Lord God of mercy and grace, we pray that this fighting ceases at once. Gaza has been leveled and Lebanon cannot be next. In this time of conflict, we pray for protection over innocent lives and wisdom for leaders on all sides. May your spirit of reconciliation bring an end to violence and guide these nations toward peace and healing.
Dockworkers at ports from Maine to Texas began walking picket lines early Tuesday in a strike over wages and automation that could reignite inflation and cause shortages of goods if it goes on more than a few weeks. The contract between the ports and about 45,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association expired at midnight, and even though progress was reported in talks on Monday, the workers went on strike. The strike affecting 36 ports is the first by the union since 1977. Workers began picketing at the Port of Philadelphia shortly after midnight, walking in a circle at a rail crossing outside the port and chanting “No work without a fair contract.” The union had message boards on the side of a truck reading: “Automation Hurts Families: ILA Stands For Job Protection.” Local ILA president Boise Butler said workers want a fair contract that doesn’t allow automation of their jobs. Shipping companies made billions during the pandemic by charging high prices, he said. “Now we want them to pay back. They’re going to pay back,” Butler said. He said the union will strike for as long as it needs to get a fair deal, and it has leverage over the companies.
Lord God, we pray for industrial policy and worker contracts, wages, and protections that honor the dignity of dock workers around the U.S. We pray for meaningful work that allows workers to live a life free from the burdens of worrying about if they’ll be able to put food or the table.
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