India Post News Service
RenoArea religious leaders belonging to diverse religions and denominations are holding candlelight vigil and offering prayers for May 24 Texas elementary school mass-shooting victims at Saint Catherine of Siena Episcopal Church in Renoon Sunday, May 29, 2022.
Nineteen students and two teachers died and many injured in Robb Elementary School in Uvalde (Texas) by this mass-shooting. It is the third-deadliest US school shooting, after the Virginia Tech shooting (2007) and the Sandy Hook Elementary School (2012) shooting; and came days after the Buffalo (New York) supermarket shooting.
Besides candlelight vigil, it will include prayers by Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Baha’i, Native-American, etc., religious leaders.
It was organized by Saint Catherine of Siena Episcopal Church Rector Father Thomas W. Blake and Rajan Zed, President of Universal Society of Hinduism,
It said: “We, as people of faith, despite our seriously different belief systems, must take a stand against violence and hatred by coming together with kindness and love. This is our moral and ethical obligation to make sure that violence should have no place in civil society and all our children receive education fearlessly in schools”.
Father Blake, whose church is hosting the event, added: It was a senseless and shocking act of violence. We condemn any and all acts of violence against innocent people. Our heartfelt prayers and sympathies go out to the victims, their families and friends. We are praying to God to provide the mourning families and others touched by this tragedy the help and consolation in dealing with this at the difficult time. This unbelievably tragic and horrible crime should be universally condemned.
