Remembering those lost to homicide
Dave Eck • Director of Communications
Each time the Sisters of the Precious Blood plan a homicide vigil in Dayton, I get an email alerting me to the place. The time is always Saturday beginning at noon. Sometimes more than one vigil is held on the same day.
I appreciate the emails and always offer my own prayer for all those involved. Unfortunately, these emails are becoming all too frequent.
The vigils – which have been conducted continuously for the last 10 years – are compassionate, prayerful gestures of community support for victims of homicide. Sisters are joined by neighborhood residents and sometimes friends or family members of the victims at the site of the killing. Prayers are said. Memories are shared. There is no judgement. There is healing.
An annual homicide memorial service is held at Salem Heights to remember those killed while bringing together the core group of volunteers who regularly participate in the vigils. It’s a time for them to come together for a bit of reflection and socialization. You can read more about the vigils and the powerful stories they generate elsewhere in this issue of Sharing & Caring.
Thank you, Sisters and prayer partners for this great ministry. I also join you in prayer that someday there will no longer be a need for it.
In this issue we also introduce you to some of the many retired Sisters who are active volunteers. They are busy doing everything from caring for heroin-addicted newborns to putting at ease a first-time client at a food pantry.
They are living out the Congregation’s mission statement of devotion to the Eucharist and being a reconciling presence in today’s fractured world. They may have given up full time ministry, but they still contribute.
Sister Arlene Hirsch said it best: “You retire from full time work, but you don’t retire from God’s people.”
We hope you enjoy their stories.
Finally, you will find a reader survey in this issue. We want to know what you like best about Sharing & Caring and what we can do to make it better. What works for you? As technology improves, are you interested in receiving our newsmagazine electronically? Please send in the survey – to take the survey electronically, click here. This is your magazine. Help us take it to the next level.