Remembering the Children ceremony

Sunnybrook United Church, in Red Deer, was the scene of ceremonies held June 30 to remember the children who attended the Red Deer Industrial School from 1893-1919. Some of these children died and were buried in the nearby cemetery. “These ceremonies, involving the United Church as a strong supporter, recognize the importance of acknowledging the injustices perpetrated on the children who attended,” said Richard Lightening, Samson Band Hobbema, in a news release. “Our communities still suffer the effects of the residential school era.” First Nations and Métis have joined with the United Church of Canada in the formation of Remembering the Children Society, which began as a working group producing a guide book for those wishing to undertake similar recoveries of Indian Residential School cemeteries. The society continues to organize these events to involve the general public and seeks further commemoration of the school and the cemetery.