Virginia Tech vigil held at MU
Published April 18, 2008
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Smithton Middle School seventh-grade students Maddy Kayser, Mary Catherine Burns and Marie Fulcher observe a moment of silence at the conclusion of Wednesday’s vigil on Carnahan Quadrangle.
Students gathered on the Carnahan Quadrangle on Wednesday night for a vigil to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University massacre. The massacre resulted in the deaths of 32 students.
Freshman Geoff Brooke Jr. collaborated with members of the Catholic Student Association, Wesley United Methodist Campus Ministry and the Christian Campus House to organize the candlelight vigil.
Students bowed their heads as freshman Campus Christian House member Dan Gibbons delivered the opening prayer to begin the ceremony. Following the prayer, senior Catholic Student Association member Joe Albin read a passage from the Gospel of Matthew, as well as a reading from Ephesians 4:30-32, which was followed by a musical selection performed by a choir of students.
“We wanted to focus on a series of readings that focus on peace,” Brooke said. “All these readings are centered on the idea of peace and the concept that out of forgiveness can grow peace.”
After a reading from Psalm 32, the choir led students in singing “Amazing Grace,” which introduced a candle-lighting ceremony. Thirty-two candles were lit as the names were read of each Virginia Tech victim who was killed.
“I think prayer is a very important aspect of any person’s spirituality regardless of their religious views, whether they’re of any denomination of Christianity, or Buddhist, Muslim or Jewish,” Brooke said. “One of the beauties of prayer is that there are so many different ways of going about it.”
Brooke began organizing the event in January. He said he had the intention of making prayer services a part of campus life and saw the Virginia Tech anniversary as an opportunity for students to come together in prayer.
The service concluded with a silent prayer and a reading of the Lord’s Prayer.
“Last year was obviously a very moving event that happened at Virginia Tech, and something we should prevent from happening in the future,” said sophomore Will Maetzold, who attended the vigil. “It’s important to keep those victims in mind because we’re students like them.”
