Anglican Indigenous Sacred Circle 2000
Islanders feel blessed by Sacred Circle

The presence of many Aboriginal church leaders, worship in First Nations languages, and a moving tree-planting ceremony are some things that impressed three people from Vancouver Island who attended the fourth Anglican Indigenous Sacred Circle in Port Elgin, Ontario this summer.

They were Victor Flett, Peggy Svanvik and Debbie McClellan. Victor Flett is a retired Navy veteran from the Peguis band in Manitoba and is people's warden at St. Paul's, Esquimalt. Peggy Svanvik is a member of the Namgis's band in Alert Bay and attends Christ Church there. Debbie McClellan's ancestry originates from Fort Rupert, and she is on parish council at the Church of St. John the Divine in Courtenay. (A fourth person, Mary Wall of St. Mark's, Qualicum Beach, was to attend the conference as an observer, but she was unable to go.)

The theme of the Sacred Circle was Walking a New Vision. The focus was the 1994 Winnipeg covenant in which Indigenous Anglicans pledged themselves to forming an Indigenous Anglican Church. Among the church leaders who attended were the Primate, Archbishop Michael Peers (an adopted member of the Nisga'a Nation); five Canadian bishops (three of whom are Aboriginal); and two international partners, a bishop from Australia and a priest from the United States.

In his homily at the opening Eucharist the Primate spoke of unity, and said that it is easy to be one when we are all the same. We are called into unity, challenged by diversity, assured by the power of God and the presence of Jesus, he said.

Ethel Ahenakew from the diocese of Saskatoon honoured the primate for his courageous stand for First Nations people and for his compassion. "As head of the Anglican Church of Canada, you are the instrument God has chosen to orchestrate the Church to start over, after admitting to the wrongs that your ancestors have committed. We can now start building bridges so that white and aboriginal people can come together and become strong as a church, where you have laid a strong foundation with your apology."

We were proud and joyful when we heard some of the Anglican Indigenous people of Canada worship in their own language. It is not something we hear often enough, as so many of our people do not know their native tongues.

A highlight of the week was the planting of a tree. Delegates had been asked to bring water and earth from their territories. We gathered outside after lunch one day and representatives from each of the four directions blessed the tree, water and earth. After the blessings we returned the water and earth to the ground and our Sacred Circle tree was planted.

These are just a few of our very stirring experiences at Sacred Circle 2000. We have many more stories to share with you. If you would like more information on the Sacred Circle, we invite you to contact a member of Aboriginal Neighbours, or look for future articles in the Diocesan Post.

At Anglican Indigenous Circle 2000 there was a definite feeling that healing and reconciliation had begun. The process will be a slow and painful one, but through prayer, discussion and faith, our healing journey continues. This was an awesome and inspiring experience, and we were happy and honoured to be a part of, and a witness to, such an event.

With assistance from Victor Flett and Peggy Svanvik.