From August 4th-10th, we had the privilege of travelling to Calgary, Alberta, to take part in the 12th Sacred Circle of the self-determining Indigenous Anglican Church. The theme was “Resurgence: Beyond the Treeline,” and over the course of a week, more than 150 delegates from across Canada gathered on Treaty 7 territory to pray, discern, and walk in hope.
From the first moments, the atmosphere was unlike any other Church gathering we have attended. This was a room of Indigenous Anglicans, and not simply Anglicans who happen to be Indigenous, but people whose faith and identity are inseparable. That distinction shaped every prayer, every conversation, and every decision we made together.
Worship anchored our days, with morning and evening liturgies blending Gospel-based discipleship with ceremony, song, drumming, and dance. We prayed in our own languages, smudged, and celebrated God’s presence in ways that were both deeply Christian and deeply Indigenous. In those moments, we saw the Anglican Church at its most beautiful, rooted in tradition, yet fully alive to the gifts of culture and community.
Over the course of the week, there were also three special days where participants wore colours to mark shared commitments and remembrance:
Orange to remember the former students and survivors of the residential school system
Black to honour the call to end racism for all
Red to honour and remember missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse peoples. (photo at the top of this page)
The work of Sacred Circle was not only ceremonial. We wrestled with questions of governance, representation, and how to live into Our Covenant and Our Way of Life.
We discussed structures grounded in our own ways of knowing, being, and doing, the structures that would allow us to be truly self-determining while remaining in loving relationship with the wider Anglican Church of Canada.
There were moments of hard truth-telling, with stories of hurt, loss, and the long shadow of colonialism, but also moments of joy and laughter. Elders offered words of wisdom. Youth spoke with vision and hope. I was struck by the humility of our leaders, who reminded us that self-determination is not about power for its own sake, but about service and about building a church that nurtures our people, strengthens our languages, and walks alongside our communities in both struggles and celebrations.
As we left Calgary, we carried a renewed sense of what it means to be part of this movement. Sacred Circle is not just a meeting; it is a living witness to God’s reconciling love, expressed in an Indigenous voice. It is a place where faith and culture dance together, where Gospel and tradition strengthen one another, and where the future feels possible.
Back home in Newfoundland and Labrador, we are encouraged to keep walking “beyond the treeline,” and toward a Church that is fully alive to who God has called us to be, here in our own lands and communities.
