Dozens converged on the Sacred Space in the Numen Lumen Pavilion to offer their thoughts and prayers for those killed or injured in the Oct. 1 shooting.
Several dozen members of the Elon community gathered in the Sacred Space in Numen Lumen Pavilion Monday afternoon to offer their thoughts and prayers following a deadly shooting in Las Vegas the night before.
The Oct. 2 gathering came after more than 50 people were killed and more than 500 were injured during a country music festival in Las Vegas in what will likely prove to be the deadliest mass shooting in recent U.S. history.
University Chaplain Jan Fuller said that the shooting has left many feeling “helpless and hopeless,” but that coming together during times of tragedy such as these can be therapeutic.
”We are going through grief and feelings of hurt and mourning,” Fuller said. “It’s important during these times that we come together. We are here as a community.”
Joel Harter, associate chaplain for Protestant life, said the shooting follows other tragedies, including Hurricanes Harvey and Irma which has devastated the Caribbean, Texas and Puerto Rico. Saying that “It just seems like there’s a lot of pain right now,” Harter said that the gathering in the Sacred Space offers an opportunity to express lament in the face of grief and suffering.
Students and faculty members rose to express what they were feeling, calling for hope in the face of tragedy and courage in the face of fear. Following a moment of silence, those who had gathered rose and lit candles to remember those whose lives were lost or touched by Sunday night’s violence.