General Secretary thanks ECUSA for gift

The Anglican Church of Canada’s general secretary, Archdeacon Jim Boyles, traveled to Boise, Idaho last month to thank the Episcopal Church in the United States (ECUSA) for its $250,000 US ($330,000 Cdn) gift in response to the native residential schools crisis. ECUSA’s Executive Council was meeting in Boise.

Mr. Boyles said the funds will be distributed to 11 dioceses hit hard by legal costs relating to lawsuits brought by former students who suffered abuse in the schools. About $88,000 will go to the national church, called General Synod, where investment resources were nearly depleted by legal costs due to lawsuits.

About $99,000 of the amount will be given to community and church groups for healing programs for indigenous people, including former residential school students, said Mr. Boyles. The programs include suicide prevention and family violence education.

The 11 dioceses and the national church together spent approximately $8.5 million on legal costs relating to the schools.

The U.S. gift was approved by Executive Council last February.