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About 30 members of the UNM community collected near the Duck Pond Tuesday night for a gathering called “Spread the Light: A Candlelight Vigil for Syria.”
The vigil, hosted by the Canterbury Campus Ministry, was intended to bring together community members of all faiths to pray for peace in Syria and for the Syrians who have been killed, injured or displaced during the civil war.
Reverend Dr. Lin Lilley, interim priest at St. Thomas of Canterbury Episcopal Church, said that the students at the campus ministry felt strongly about the unrest in Syria and wanted to pray for the victims of the turmoil in the Middle East.
“They were tired of just listening to bad news, and wanted to do something,” Lilley said. “We just came out and asked others to join in prayer.”
Maddie Carrell, the organizer of the vigil, said she wanted to make sure anyone, of any faith, felt welcome to join in prayer.
Erin Watson, from the UNM Pagan Students Group, made a short presentation and prayer for peace, and representatives from other campus groups spoke as well.
A number of religious groups from the community could not send representatives, but sent statements that were read to the group.
Father John Barton, a retired Episcopal priest, quoted Don Quixote and the song “The Impossible Dream” from the musical “Man of La Mancha.” He then asked those gathered to pray silently and “dream in your mind what Syria would look like if there was peace.” He said that “this hope is bigger than one religion; It’s as big as humanity.”
Nursing student Steven Russell was one of the participants at the vigil. He said he simply wanted to lend his prayers in hopes for peace.
Rev. Lilley reminded the crowd that Saturday, Sept. 21 is the United Nations Day of Peace, instituted in 1982. In 2002, the World Council of Churches declared that day the Annual Day of Peace, she said. She invited everyone to take a moment of personal prayer on that day and convince others to do the same.
Other groups represented at the vigil, whether by a speaker or by a message read to the group, included the Catholic Apologetics, Wesleyan House, the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship and Mission of Maitreya: Eternal Divine Path.
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