PVNC Catholic observes National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with assemblies across the Board
Sept. 30, 2025
Many were wearing orange shirts as more than a thousand St. Peter Catholic Secondary School students walked the track to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The day began with a school-wide assembly in the gym.
Members of the school’s Legacy Club led a prayer and land acknowledgement.
The assembly featured drumming by advocate, educator and musician Janet McCue.
Following the assembly, students took part in a smudging ceremony as they made their way outside to the track.
Similar events and assemblies were held at schools across the Board, each providing opportunities for students and staff to deepen their understanding of Indigenous histories and cultures while reaffirming their commitment to the ongoing work of truth and reconciliation.
At St. Stephen Catholic Secondary School in Bowmanville, students from the Grade 10 Religion class shared a thoughtful presentation on how Catholic Social Teaching calls us to live iwth justice, solidarity and resepect for human dignity.
The students’ work explored the meaning of The Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, recognizing stories and experiences of Indigenous peoples and reflecting on how reconciliation is an ongoing journey.
By connecting the principals of Catholic Social Teaching with the call to reconciliation, students highlighted our responsibility as Catholics to build relationships rooted in compassion, justice and respect for every person’s dignity.
At St. Elizabeth Catholic Elementary School in Bowmanville, the day began with a smudge for any staff and community members who wanted to join, which was attended by many including parents and younger children.
Grade 8 students have been working for three weeks on the revitalization of the school’s medicine garden.
Under the leadership of nine Grade 8 students from the annex, classes from K-7 learned about the creation of hte garden, the symbols represented in the garden and the importance of the medicine wheel.
They also shared their learning on residential schools and the calls to action for Truth and Reconciliation as well as two special projects that all Grade 8 students participated in.
Each year, Sept. 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The day honours the children who never returned home and survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities.
Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.
This federal statutory holiday was created through legislative amendments made by Parliament. Both the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day take place on September 30.
Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of residential schools, and to promote the concept of “Every Child Matters”.
The orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.