Administrators and student interns at the Center for Faith, Action and Ministry partnered with Solidarity SMC to offer a space to reflect on and pray for peace on campus during Friday evening. By hosting a demonstrative walk from the Student Center, flowers in hand, to Lake Marian, those participating became a physical reminder of hope and peace.
“Having time where bodies are gathering together to stand for peace … I think that’s a delightful thing. There’s work to be done, so it’s a great time to be arm and arm with one another and see what that looks like going forward,” CFAM ecumenical outreach intern junior Sam McGrath said.
After reaching the Lake, the four CFAM interns, McGrath, interfaith outreach intern junior Ella Eitniear, Latine ministry intern junior Kimi Ortiz-Morales and Catholic outreach intern junior Charlotte McIlnay, along with Solidarity SMC president senior Ally Krause, offered a short prayer, reflection and reading for those in attendance.
“God of peace, you who dwell in the vastness and the dust, remind us of our place in a world marked by systems of violence,” Oritz-Morales prayed. “Uncover in us the roles we play and open our hearts to the world of unmaking what harms. We are here to listen, to reflect and to act with compassion and love.”
Assistant director for justice and solidarity Sarah Neitz said the walk and reflection was in line with the message from the president of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops, Archbishop Paul Coakley, to pray for unity and peace amid the “current climate of fear and polarization, which thrives when human dignity is disregarded.”
“Let us pray for reconciliation where there is division, for justice where there are violations of fundamental rights, and for consolation for all who feel overwhelmed by fear or loss,” Coakley’s letter read.
His letter, which calls for a “Holy Hour as a Moment of Renewal for Our Hearts and Our Nation,” was published on the USCCB’s website on Jan. 28 and connected to the Special Pastoral Message on Immigration. Coakley and other bishops who supported his letter, including Bishop Kevin Rhoades, invited bishops and priests around the country to participate in a “Holy Hour for Peace.” Neitz said CFAM hosted an official Holy Hour for Peace Thursday evening, and tonight’s walk was an extension of that event.
“It was really heartening. It’s not every day that the bishops say something so strong about something that's currently happening. I think it says a lot about the ways that we're called to stand up for peace in these times, to stand up for immigrant rights and to stand up for reform of systems that aren't working for anyone,” Neitz said.
Ecumenical chaplain Carrie Badertscher, who was not in attendance but led the organization of the event, reached out to Krause if her club would be interested in co-sponsoring the event. Krause said she felt excited to help and collaborate with CFAM, and hopes the club’s affiliation demonstrates the ability for justice and faith to work together towards change.
“I think it’s so sad when people don't realize that faith and justice can be intertwined,” Krause said. “There’s a long-standing tradition in lots of faith groups, Catholicism included, of movement … [and] it’s really important to compare these two things, especially right now when our country seems so divided in a scary way.”
Eitniear agrees with Badertscher, who views their walk for peace as a contribution to the greater outpouring of advocacy for peace and justice in the United States, taking special influence from the group of Buddhist monks who recently completed their walk from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, D.C.
“Pastor Carrie, I think, was really inspired by those monks that are doing the walk across the U.S. right now, because it’s a very visual representation of people really hoping and working for peace,” Eitniear said. “I think having a presence on campus like that’s really powerful, because it’s not just a statement issued, but it’s bodies in a place showing up, wishing, praying and working for the better of our campus and global community.”
