Red Dress Day - May 5

May 5 is Red Dress Day, also known as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (observed annually on May 5). 

Red Dress Day honours the memories of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls across Canada. Métis artist Jaime Black helped inspire the red dress movement, where red dresses are hung from windows and trees to represent the pain and loss felt by loved ones and survivors.

From April 18-30 our division Indigenous Wellness Facilitator, Josh Cross, will visit each of our schools to educate and bring awareness to the Red Dress Day Movement. Mr. Josh will share a presentation with staff and students and facilitate an activity, followed by a march with traditional drumming and ending with a moment of silence for those impacted. 

"I believe it is important to recognize this significant day as a division because regardless of one’s race, these issues can affect all our lives. I know it has impacted me and my family personally as well; my hope from this is to heal, forgive, pray and remember those lost or still missing. We used to be silenced. We used to be shunned. We used to be erased. We used to be ashamed. But we are these things no longer. We are resilient warriors and we won’t be forgotten any longer." - Josh Cross, Indigenous Wellness Facilitator 

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Lord, as a Catholic school community we pray for the safety and protection of Indigenous women and girls, that they may be free from harm and violence. Let us pray:

Red Dress Day Prayer

Heavenly Father,

We come before you today with heavy hearts as we remember and honor the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in our communities.

We lift up to you the families and loved ones who continue to grieve the loss of their sisters, daughters, mothers, and grandmothers.

We also pray for the safety and protection of all Indigenous women and girls, that they may be free from harm and violence. We ask that you guide us as a society to recognize and address the systemic issues that have contributed to this crisis, and that we may work together to create a world where all women are valued and protected.

We offer this prayer through the intercession of Our Lady, and in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught us to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Amen