Walking with the First Peoples: Honoring Roots, Welcoming Migrants, Building Solidarity--Reflection Guide for Indigenous Peoples Day

This October, we invite you to mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day with a resource that helps communities pray, learn, and act in genuine solidarity:
Walking with the First Peoples: Honoring Roots, Welcoming Migrants, Building Solidarity.

Walking with the First Peoples:…

This short see–judge–act guide is built for parishes, schools, and small groups. It centers Indigenous wisdom and the Gospel call to liberation, and it lifts up the journeys of Indigenous migrants—including Mayan families—who seek safety and dignity at our borders.

Inside you’ll find:

• A centering Opening Prayer that honors the many peoples and lands we stand upon.
  
  
• A See section naming both resilience and injustice, with global Maryknoll stories from the U.S.–Mexico border to Latin America, Asia, and Africa.
  
  
• A Judge section grounded in Luke 4:18–19 and Laudato Si’ (#146), highlighting land as sacred gift and Indigenous communities as essential dialogue partners.
  
  
• A Faith-sharing prompt that invites personal and communal conversion.
  
  
• A concise Act section with concrete steps: learn whose land you’re on, support organizations accompanying Indigenous migrants, and practice radical welcome.
  
  
• A Closing Prayer that sends us forth as people of justice and hope.

Use it anytime this month (and beyond) for class periods, staff prayer, RCIA/sacramental prep, youth nights, or parish small groups. It works beautifully as a single 20-30 minute session or as a two-part reflection.

Download the Guide and Share with Your Parish/School

As Pope Francis reminds us, Indigenous communities are not voices from the past, but prophets for the present-calling us to protect creation, honor sovereignty, and accompany those who journey. Let’s move beyond land acknowledgments to living commitments that heal relationships with God, one another, and the Earth.