Thought and Prayer of the Day
by James Wagner
May 1, 2025
In advance of the National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman and Girls Day on Monday May 5th, James Wagner of our Truth and Reconciliation Team shares a personal story of answered prayer.
The Power of Collective Prayer
My work as a Senior Advisor in Indigenous Relations offers me the privilege to travel across Canada to visit First Nation and Metis Communities. About 4 years ago I had the honour of travelling to New Brunswick to visit Bilijk First Nation (formerly known as Kingsclear First Nation) and attend their Pow Wow. Bilijk First Nation is located west of Fredericton along the St. John River.
A little bit about Bilijk First Nation. Bilijk First Nation is part of traditional homeland of the Wolastoqey Nation. Wolastoqey translated into english means “People of the Bountiful River”. That bountiful river is the St. John River but to the Wolastoqey it is the Wolastoq; “the bountiful river”.
Driving to the reserve, off of the main highway out of Fredericton, I came to the Wolastoq and to the left was an absolutely massive hydro dam and to the left Bilijk First Nation reserve where the Pow Wow was taking place. In honour of their own community’s women and girls who had gone missing, the First Nation displayed a red dress in the center of the Pow Wow circle. At high noon, all the women and girls were invited to dance in the circle to call on the spirits of the missing women and girls to find their way back home. From Elders barely able to walk, to infants just barely old enough to walk all came into the circle in the jingle dresses. These dresses were lined with small bells, some of metal and others made of bone. Even with the lightest of steps, these dresses would ring to the heavens, what a beautiful sound. Well over 50 women and girls danced that afternoon in honour of their ancestors, loved ones, friends and family who had gone missing.
Their prayers had been heard. The following day, the Emcee to the Pow Wow shared that the Chief to Bilijk First Nation received a call from the RCMP shortly after the jingle dress dance. The RCMP informed the chief that they had identified the remains of a women found in Toronto back in the 70s as a member of their First Nation. To my knowledge, Bilijk First Nation and the RCMP collaborated to return the remains back to her community shortly after the Pow Wow.
Prayer:
Creator God,
accept all we offer you this day:
our prayers for your vulnerable children;
our grief for your beloved Indigenous women
our hope in your healing and reconciling love.
Receive the sacred colours, food, and medicines we lay before you
and, through them, work the healing of our souls
for the service of your mission.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
