Month of Prayers Surrounding the Stories of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada: A Prayer Resource for Individuals, Families, Small Groups and Churches

In recent years, more media attention has been given to the stories of the many missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada. As these stories are told, society and individuals cannot stand by, idly allowing injustice to continue. We invite you to enter into a month of prayer that focuses on the injustices that surround the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada. It is our prayer that we can join together, in prayer, to pray for these women, their families, their offenders and their families, the justice system, and their communities. Let us pray too for healing, justice and reconciliation for all those involved in each story.

As we approach this month of prayer, we frame each week around the 7 Sacred Teachings (also referred to as the 7 Grandfather Teachings) found in Indigenous cultures. The 7 Sacred Teachings come from Indigenous communities across Canada and although the specific stories associated with these teachings differ between Indigenous groups, the basic teachings remain the same. These teachings were given to many of the Indigenous communities in Canada by Creator as a guide for life. They explained how human beings were to interact and live with the land, the animals, and their fellow human beings. These 7 Sacred Teachings are passed down by the Elders from generation to generation and are honoured and recognized as the right way to live on the Earth. The 7 Sacred Teachings are Love, Honesty, Humility, Wisdom, Respect, Courage and Truth.