On the cusp of retirement, Rev. Canon Debbie Royals’ path ahead veers back to her Pascua Yaqui tribal roots.
As she steps away from formal church leadership, the 72-year-old will immerse herself in community life.
The foundation of her current work includes educating on the Doctrine of Discovery and its impact on Native Americans, especially through boarding schools.
The doctrine has been used as a religious and legal principle in international law, and says when a nation “discovers” new land, it seizes that land from people who have lived there for generations. It has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court as recently as 2005.
“If the focus is decolonizing, that means everything that we do, everything we say, every way we act needs to be in an intentionally decolonized perspective,” she said. “If we’re not going to do that, then we’re not doing what we’re saying we’re doing.”
In the final two months of 2025, Royals, has been a force: As the Canon for Native American Ministry for the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, she spoke at an Arizona State Board of Education meeting; she and other church leaders signed a covenant with the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery; and she gave a sermon on Mary as a “revolutionary risk taker.”
Royals, along with three other church officials, including Episcopal Bishop Jennifer Reddall, implored the board to include information on the doctrine and the boarding school legacy in its teaching standards. The ask comes as the board moves to strip references to diversity, equity and inclusion within state teaching standards in 2026.
The boarding school system forced Native children to sever ties to their heritage. It operated from the early 1800s until the late 1960s. As of this year, 526 boarding schools have been identified in 38 states with the most in Oklahoma, Arizona and New Mexico respectively, according to the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition.
“Losing one’s identity is the most serious form of genocide and it is still practiced in this country today,” Royals told theArizona State Board of Education earlier this month. “Children who do not see themselves in places of authority or position is devastating. Not knowing or understanding why, you begin to hide behind a mask of identity — one that is acceptable. No one around you really knows who you are because you are hiding behind a mask.
“How do we repair? We tell the truth. We teach the truth. We learn from the truth. And we listen to the truth even when it is painful and disturbing or unsettling we must engage the truth.”
Royals’ candor has evolved over decades — as a Yaqui youth, a mother of two boys, a nurse, a church leader and now a grandmother of four. As part of a pilgrimage, she visited 54 boarding schools in Arizona in 2024. In her own words, here’s how she sees her next chapter:
On retirement: “I’m really looking forward to being more active and engaged in my community, in the Old Pascua community on Grant Road. This is where I came from. And for most of my ministry years, I’ve been conflicted because the historical missions of our tribe coincide with the most busy time of the year, which is Lent and Easter.
“So I’m almost always in a church, not in my community. So now that’s going to go away. So it’ll give me a chance to reassume my ceremonial role. And to be fully engaged that way.
“And I think in a lot of ways that’s a healthy thing to happen anyway because this other part of my ministry in life has been kind of walking in two worlds and always walking a path of resistance. Because the church is determined to make me white. They were winning for a while. They’re not winning anymore. I’ve reached that place.”
On her pilgrimage: “The 2024 Boarding School Listening & Healing Pilgrimage had a number of surprises. Hearing the testimonies of so many from so many experiences was humbling. I think I was surprised to know that survivors want to tell the stories, they want the truth to come out and they want to feel like they are not alone.”
On what students can learn about the work: “The Episcopal Church was the first denomination to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery in 2009. However, I don’t think I can say that any steps have been taken to stop the advancement of the result of the doctrine. As legal decisions are still used to defend the federal government from taking land, from destroying resources, from destroying cultural sites where century’s old ceremonies have been held, is a denial of religious freedoms it is necessary to continue the work of dismantling the systems that have been built on the Doctrine of Discovery. Everyone needs to know what the doctrine is and why it matters.”
On fun: “I have a lovely garden, chickens and two pups; as well as sewing, weaving and gourd art to keep me busy.”
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