Emancipation Day Declaration approved by the Anglican Diocese Synod
Emancipation Sunday — 26 July 2026**
The Synod of the Anglican Church of Bermuda, meeting on 27 June 2026, calls the Church to observe Emancipation Sunday on 26 July 2026, and annually on every subsequent Sunday preceding 1 August.
We, the Anglican Church of Bermuda join with the people of this Island in solemn remembrance, thanksgiving, and renewed commitment to justice.
We recall with reverence the events of 1 August 1834, when the Emancipation Act came into effect and the enslaved men, women, and children of Bermuda were legally freed. We acknowledge the profound suffering endured under slavery, the resilience and faith of those who survived it, those who continue to experience intergenerational trauma as a result of slavery and the segregation that followed and the generations whose labour, culture, and spiritual strength have shaped the Bermuda we know today.
As followers of Jesus Christ, who proclaims liberty to the captives and calls His people to walk in truth and reconciliation, we affirm that the work of freedom is never complete. Emancipation is both a historic moment and a continuing moral responsibility, recognizing that there are many in who are enslaved today. We therefore commit ourselves anew to:
- honouring the dignity of every human being
- confronting the legacies of injustice that persist in our society
- fostering communities of equity, compassion, and hope
- lifting up the voices and stories of those too long unheard
- providing liturgical resources to reflect the solemnity of the occasion
We invite all parishes of this Church to mark this day with prayer, reflection, and thanksgiving, to use approved liturgical resources provided by the diocese; to teach the history entrusted to us; and to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we labour for a Bermuda where all may flourish.
May God, who brought our forebears from bondage into freedom, grant us courage to pursue righteousness, wisdom to discern the paths of peace, and grace to build a future rooted in truth.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Bishop Dill, House of Clergy and Laity of the Anglican Diocese of Bermuda
To be read and played on your stations on Mary Prince Day and Emancipation Day
**Emancipation Sunday Declaration
Anglican Church of Bermuda 26 July 2026**
On this Emancipation Sunday, the Anglican Church of Bermuda joins the people of this Island in remembering the coming into force of the Emancipation Act on 1 August 1834. We honour the resilience, faith, and dignity of those who endured slavery, those who continue to experience intergenerational trauma as a result of slavery and the segregation that followed and the generations whose labour, culture, and spiritual strength have shaped the Bermuda we know today and we give thanks for the freedom for which they longed and prayed.
As followers of Christ, we reaffirm our commitment to justice, truth, and reconciliation. We pledge to confront the continuing legacies of injustice, to uphold the worth of every human being, and to work for a Bermuda where all may flourish.
May God grant us courage, wisdom, and grace as we walk together in the light of freedom.
