Dear friends at St. George’s,

This Sunday we continue to mark the Season of Creation and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. These are important times to pause, to listen, and to walk together with honesty and hope.

My name is José Luis. I serve as a priest, and also as a teacher and Clinical Counsellor. I am honoured and very glad to be with you this Sunday.

There is a painting I often return to by Sieger Köder, showing Peter looking into a bowl of water as Jesus washes his feet. In the water, he sees his own face. He seems surprised, even unsettled. It reminds me that sometimes the hardest step toward peace is seeing ourselves honestly.

This also speaks to Truth and Reconciliation. On the Survivors’ Flag, the seeds represent the children who never came home from residential schools. To face that truth is painful, but it is the only place healing can begin. Like Peter at the basin, we are invited to look clearly, to honour memory, and to plant seeds of peace and hope for the future.

I look forward to being with you and sharing this journey on Sunday.

With gratitude and in Christ,
José Luis+