St. Alban, Cape Elizabeth Land Acknowledgement
Our baptismal vows call us to respect the inherent dignity of Wabanaki people and culture and to lament the historic sins committed by governments and institutions against them. The Holy Spirit compels us to mourn alongside all victims of oppression, to honor their painful truths, and to pursue new ways of working together as partners in the stewardship of healing, justice, and peace in God’s land.
Following the resolution passed at Diocese Convention in 2021, St. Paul’s, Brunswick went on a two year long journey of working towards implementing a Territory Acknowledgement. We began by implementing a statement at our 9 am Non Traditional Eucharist as that liturgy provides us a space to try things on and experiment. The statement evolved over time to include an invitation of action so that it is not just a performative act that checks a box, but one that both acknowledges and compels us to action. Our vestry began using the statement in the last few months and has entered into formal discernment as to how God is calling us to bring this statement into more spaces (other meetings, worship etc). It has been a slow journey as the work of justice often is. And it has been rich to do this work with intention and in the engaging spirit of discernment that has also helped to guide us as we honor the broad spectrum of perspectives that our community holds around the issue of Native Sovereignty. We trust that the Holy Spirit is guiding us as we continue this journey. ~ The Rev. Katie Holicky, Assistant Rector at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Brunswick
St. Paul, Brunswick Territory Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we stand on territory that was taken from the Abenaki people of the Wabanaki Confederacy, the people of the Dawnland. May we always remember that the Earth does not belong to us, that we belong to the Earth, and that we are all companions in life. May we learn from our past sins and be instruments of justice and peace for all people in today’s world. We ask for inspiration that we might be compelled to take action and support our native neighbors as they continue to seek their sovereignty here in Maine.
Good Shepherd, Houlton Territorial Acknowledgement
The Church of the Good Shepherd in Houlton, Maine respectfully acknowledges that our buildings are located on the homeland of the Wolastoqey (Maliseet) Nation. The Wolastoqey Nation is connected to the other Wabanaki Nations — the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, and Mi’kmaq — through kinship, alliances and diplomacy. We reside today near the Wolastoqey village of Meduxnekewiyik, alongside the bank of the Meduxnekeag River, a tributary of the Wolastoq (the St. John) which is the cultural heart of the Wolastoqey people. We acknowledge the unresolved issues of water and territorial rights, rights to adequate sustenance and food sovereignty, control and care for the ecosystem, and the encroachment upon sacred sites that occur on these lands. We further recognize that these nations are distinct, sovereign, legal and political entities with their own powers of self-governance and self-determination living on unsurrendered and unceded traditional lands.