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.
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
