When Something Changes, Something Changes

A reflection on Orange Shirt Day 2026

On September 29, I went in for my weekly shift at St. Joe’s Café, a welcoming space that offers two meals daily operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph. At the Café we were remembering Orange Shirt Day on both the 29th and the 30th. Volunteers wore orange shirts. Our staff created a web with orange ribbons for people to write the name of someone they wished to remember. Just before opening, I was speaking to a volunteer at the front door. He was a former student of mine in high school some 40 years ago. In those days a few of the teachers and students, with the help of contacts in Moosonee, began to run a summer camp for the “Indian” children in the bush about 20 kilometers outside the town. Some relationships have lasted over these many years. He asked one question before we opened our doors. “Did you know anything about residential schools when we were there some 40 years ago?” we both shook our heads in some kind of disbelief that we knew nothing. Not a thing.

Some 13 years ago, First Nations people with the inspiration of Phyliss Webstad began commemorating Orange Shirt Day to remember the history of residential schools, to commit to changing the relationship between aboriginal and non-aboriginal peoples and recognize the harm created by the attempt to erase a culture.

On September 30 I was going for a noon time walk in a parklet that serves as a playground for a local school. It was around noon. Suddenly, across the parklet about 50 students between the ages of 6-8 began to race toward the swings and slides. Every one of them wore an orange shirt. The principal must have directed the teachers who reminded the students. The parents rummaged through drawers and found orange shirts. Some of them were specifically created for the day. Some were Halloween shirts or other team shirts. The point is they were all orange and people were intentional. I wondered what these children were learning about the history of other children. The counterpoint of carefree children reminded of other children who were not carefree was obvious. The hope that those running and jumping children and their teachers and parents inspired brought hope of an enlightened history moving toward real change.

And I was reminded that when something changes…something changes.

-Sister Margo Ritchie, csj

Image: chris robert @chris_robert/Unsplash

A National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Sept. 30th was first observed in 2021 as a federal statutory holiday.  It was in Call to Action #80, which states: “ We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with aboriginal peoples, to establish, as has statutory holiday, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to honor Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains A vital component of the reconciliation process.”

Previously, September 30th had been known as Orange Shirt Day which began in 2013 when Phyllis (Jack) Webstad told her story of her first day at St. Joseph Mission Residential School when her shiny new orange shirt bought by her grandmother was taken from her as a six-year-old girl.

Webstad is a residential school Survivor and founder of Orange Shirt Day. She currently serves as ambassador for the Orange Shirt Society. It was in 2013 when she first told the story of how her new orange shirt, a gift from her grandmother, was taken from her on her first day at residential school.

Today, people across Canada and, increasingly in the United States and beyond, wear orange shirts to acknowledge the horrific truths of the genocide committed through the country’s residential school system. But it all began as the childhood experience of Phyllis Webstad of the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem (Canoe Creek Dog Creek) First Nation. By sharing her own personal story, she spoke for thousands of Survivors and those who never made it home. (https://orangeshirtday.org/about/phyllis-story/)

Since then and thanks largely to Webstad’s efforts, which have included publishing five children’s books, the orange shirt has become a symbol of Truth and Reconciliation, a visible reminder of the residential school system along with the message that “Every Child Matters.”

The educational movement highlighted by her story led to Sept. 30 being recognized as Orange Shirt Day, and eventually to the federal government establishing that day as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It became a statutory holiday in B.C. in 2023.

Phyllis Webstad’s contributions are foundational to the public awareness and understanding of the history of Canada and its evolving relationship with Indigenous Peoples. Her work to bring about this level of public awareness is monumental and has created a movement towards respect, safety, and justice for all people in Canada and beyond.

Do you have an orange shirt for September 30? Even wearing an orange ribbon can be a meaningful gesture.

By wearing orange, we say:

We remember.
We acknowledge the truth.
We honour survivors and their families.
We commit ourselves to reconciliation.

-Sister Kathleen Lichti, CSJ

World Refugee Day - June 20, 2026

World Refugee Day is observed globally on June 20 to honour the strength, courage, and resilience of individuals who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution.  It is an occasion to build empathy and understanding for their situations.

Ensuring protection for refugees strengthens communities, promotes stability, and saves lives.  This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Convention which is the international agreement that protects the rights of refugees.  This year’s theme is: “Until Everyone is Safe,” which means:

·        Governments to uphold fair and accessible asylum systems,

·        Donors to sustain life-giving support.

·        Communities to welcome those forced to flee,

·        Each of us to defend the principle that safety must never depend on nationality, wealth, race, religion, gender, political opinion or migration status.

This World Refugee Day, do your part by supporting the We’re Better Together network’s open letter and advocacy campaigns to defend asylum rights and build community-led sponsorship programs across Canada:  Week of Action – We're Better Together.

“Becoming a refugee is never a choice. But how we respond is.”  -António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations

-Sister Nancy Sullivan, CSJ

Image: Ricardo Gomez Angel/Unsplash

World Oceans Day 2026

World Oceans Day is observed every year on June 8 to raise awareness about the importance of the ocean and the need to protect it. First proposed at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro by Canada’s International Centre for Ocean Development and the Ocean Institute of Canada, the day was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2008. It encourages people everywhere to support ocean health, sustainable resource use, and global efforts tied to the Sustainable Development Goals.

The 2026 theme is “Reimagine”, inviting us to rethink our relationship with the ocean. For too long, many of us have treated the ocean as something distant and separate from daily life, when in fact it shapes the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the climate that sustains us. The ocean covers more than 70% of Earth’s surface, produces at least half of the world’s oxygen, absorbs a significant share of carbon dioxide, feeds billions of people, and supports livelihoods around the globe. Reimagining our connection to the ocean means moving from appreciation to responsibility.

My mother was from Ireland and lived in three countries during her life. She was always drawn to holidays where she could stand at the water’s edge and put her feet in the ocean. She said it made her feel connected to her family in Ireland and Great Britain. That memory reminds me that the ocean is not only a natural resource; for many people, it is also a source of belonging, memory, and identity.

What kind of connection do you have to the ocean, and is it strong enough to inspire action in return for all that it gives us? Even if it is too late to plan a major event this year, it is never too late to learn more and make meaningful choices. You might support organizations that remove plastic from the water, protect marine life from abandoned fishing gear, or restore fragile habitats. You could host a sustainable seafood dinner, attend an educational event at a nature centre, reduce single-use plastics, or simply start conversations about why ocean protection matters. Every action, however small, helps bring us closer to a healthier future for our blue planet.

-Maureen Condon, csj Associate

Images: Andrzej Kryszpiniuk/ Shifaaz shamoon | Unsplash

Partners in Hope: Supporting Housing, Dignity, and Community in London

On the Closure of House of Hope

The Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada partner with London Cares Homeless Outreach and Regional HIV/AIDS Connection. Across London, organizations have worked deliberately to build a community where everyone can access the housing and support they need to live with stability and dignity.

House of Hope is a vital part of that housing continuum. For many residents, it bridged the gap between encampments or shelters and more stable supportive or affordable housing. Closing this deeply supportive housing creates a serious void and leaves both residents and staff facing renewed uncertainty and distress.

Too much of the time and energy of London Cares leadership—and of many across the social service sector—is consumed by securing, protecting, and renegotiating funding. That outlay of energy is needed in supporting frontline staff, and helping residents move toward stability. This work strengthens not only the lives of House of Hope residents, but the well-being of the wider London community.

Displacing residents and staff is an avoidable setback to the Whole of Community Response to Homelessness. We trust that the province and the city along with those most affected can resolve this together. At a time when communities are already under strain, preserving effective supportive housing is both necessary and do-able.

-Sister Margo Ritchie, csj

image: Adam Papp/Unsplash

Read about it here.