In January, I had the honour of joining a gathering in Winnipeg to commemorate the Sacred
Assembly, first called by Elijah Harper in 1995. That original gathering drew Indigenous leaders, churches, and people from many spiritual traditions to name hard truths and to seek healing grounded not only in politics, but in spirit, relationship, and shared responsibility. The
commemoration reminded us that the Sacred Assembly was never meant to be a one-time event.

It was a call to walk differently alongside Indigenous peoples, to listen deeply, and to act justly.
Today, that call presses on us with urgency.

One theme that many speakers returned to was the disproportionately high suicide rates
among Indigenous people, especially among youth. Indigenous suicide is not simply a mental-
health statistic. It is a spiritual crisis rooted in disconnection from land, language, family, culture, and belonging — disconnections that churches were often complicit in creating through
residential schools and other colonial systems. This is not someone else’s problem. When young lives are lost, the whole body grieves. Scripture reminds us that “the body does not consist of one member but of many” (1 Cor.12). Justice work, then, is not optional. It is an expression of our faithfulness.

In the midst of this grief, there are also signs of hope. At the Winnipeg Assembly, we heard
stories from Bill Pagaran of Carry the Cure and Jonathan Maracle of Broken Walls, two
Indigenous leaders who often travel together into northern and remote Indigenous communities.

They go where the pain is deep and the resources are few, carrying songs, stories, and a ministry of presence. Bill spoke of sitting with young people who are struggling to find reasons to keep going. Drawing on clinical tools, cultural traditions, and other proven practices, he offers
communities a holistic approach to suicide prevention. In school assemblies, youth are invited to name reasons to live, to make commitments to life, and to imagine futures shaped by hope and belonging.

Alongside this work, Broken Walls offers free evening concerts in the communities they visit.
Through music and storytelling, messages of restoration, dignity, and self-respect are shared, and the gospel is proclaimed in ways that honour culture, lived experience, and the sacred worth of every life.

From Commemoration to Commitment

Thirty years ago the Sacred Assembly called churches to more than apologies or statements. It called us into right relationship. That call still stands. It reminds us that justice is not a program; it is a way of walking. As churches, we are invited to move from remembering the past to taking responsibility in the present — to stand with those working to prevent loss of life and to restore hope. May we have the courage to choose life, not only in our prayers, but in our partnerships, our resources, and our witness.

Justice, after all, is love made visible.