The Archbishop of Canterbury will hold an informal meeting with residential school survivors when he visits the Woodland Cultural Center in Brantford on May 2.
The Most Rev. Justin Welby, head of the Church of England and leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, is visiting Canada from April 29 to May 3 to highlight that church’s desire to pursue reconciliation with Indigenous people. Besides the local stop, he will meet with Anglican Indigenous people and Indigenous leaders in Prince Albert, Sask., and in Toronto.
The visit to the Woodland centre, which is adjacent to the former Mohawk Institute residential school, will include a meeting with survivors at 2:30 pm A prayer service, with Indigenous leaders, will be held at 6:30 pm at the nearby Mohawk Chapel , which was built in 1785 and is the first Protestant church in Upper Canada.
The Mohawk Institute is considered Canada’s longest running residential school, operating from 1828 to 1970. It was run by the Anglican Church, which has apologized to Indigenous communities for its role in the school system.
Welby is coming to Canada in response to an invitation from Archbishop Linda Nicholls, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, and National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop Mark MacDonald.
In making the invitation, Nicholls and MacDonald said Welby’s visit will recognize the role the Church of England played in Canada’s colonial history with Indigenous people.
This includes how representatives of that Church were present during treaty negotiations with Indigenous people, and also the church’s involvement in running residential schools.
Nicolls and MacDonald said they hope that, while here, Welby will apologize to Indigenous people on behalf of the Church of England.
The Anglican Church of Canada has twice apologized to Indigenous people—in 1993, for its role in residential schools, and in 2019, for the spiritual harm it caused them.