CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Trinity Episcopal Church at 317 Franklin Street will host an interfaith memorial vigil with local churches on Friday, June 17 at 7 p.m.
All members of the community are invited to attend this interfaith service, which will remember the victims of the Orlando, FL tragedy. Forty-nine people were killed in a mass shooting at Pulse nightclub.
Readings, song, as well as a reciting of all the victims’ names are included in this ceremony. Clergy will be available for one-on-one healing prayer and words of comfort after the service.
“It is our intention to bring together the diversity of the people that make up Clarksville, TN,” Trinity Episcopal member Bethany Kelly said. “We will mourn and celebrate the lives lost in Orlando, FL. As people of faith, we face the suffering caused by gun violence, believing that healing is possible.”
Rev. Meghan Holland, Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church, urges the community to come together for support.
“At this point in our communal lives, we have watched – too many times – people, our fellow humans, our fellow Americans, become victims of gun violence,” she said. “We have watched – too many times – as our peers, friends, and loved ones have fallen victim to marginalization, hate, and violence. This prayer vigil is an opportunity for those in Clarksville, regardless of faith, to remember and mourn the loss of life we experienced in Orlando. It is also an opportunity for our prayers to urge us into action. My hope is that people come away with a sense of divine healing, reminded that we are called to love each other without exception and respect the dignity of every human being.”
A candlelight vigil was held Sunday evening at the McGregor Park Riverwalk to remember the victims.
For more information about Trinity Episcopal Church, visit http://trinityparish.com/.