BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) -
War, crime, abuse and prejudice
are just a few examples of violence parishioners at St. Jude Catholic Church hoped
to address Sunday night as they came together for a Candle Light Vigil for
Peace.
Candles were lit one by one as
words and songs of peace were shared hoping to sound off in one unified voice
against violence in any form.
"As a community we wanted to
something tonight but we didn't want it to be just gun violence. We wanted to
try to help create awareness that we're called to bring peace and hope wherever
we go," said Father Trey Nelson.
"I think it's important that
people see peace around them and that they recognize that not everyone has
violence going on and they focus on better things in community," added Sarah
Sicard.
Better things these parishioners
say can begin with just one act of kindness from anyone at any time.
"I think it has to start locally
and it's not going to happen all at once because the world's really big but if
it starts in a community then it can start to grow and bring peace to more
areas," said Megan Littleton.
A vision that Father Nelson
realizes is no easy task but one he believes can be made easier if people
understand they have someone nearby
"We really want people here
whether they're old or really, really young to feel they're not alone and we're
going to stand together and be hope in darkness," said Nelson.
According to the Catholic Commentator, St. Jude is one of the
first catholic churches in the region to plan an anti-violence vigil since the
school shooting in Connecticut.
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