Bishops of The Episcopal Church demonstrate against gun violence.
[The Episcopal News] In the wake of at least 607 mass shootings this year including November incidents in Colorado and Virginia, Episcopalians are urged to join in gun violence prevention and advocacy measures, including vigils timed to mark the Dec. 14 10th anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.
Los Angeles Bishop John Harvey Taylor, who is a member of the denomination-wide organization Bishops United Against Gun Violence, joins members of the diocesan joint Episcopal-Lutheran Task Force on Prevention of Gun Violence, in encouraging deepened advocacy and participation of vigil events in Southern California and beyond.
Virginia Classick, a parishioner of All Saints Church in Pasadena and advocate for gun violence prevention, notes that congregations can plan local ways of joining the annual National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence, sponsored by the Newtown Action Alliance Foundation.
Participation options include hosting a separate companion vigil, interfaith event, and incorporating awareness into sermons, liturgies and litanies during December, preferably on a Sunday closest the Dec. 14 10th anniversary of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
This year’s National Vigil annual anchor event will be held at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 4 – 6 p.m. PST (7 – 9 p.m. EST).
Additional faith partners for this national observance include Bishops Against Gun Violence, Washington National Cathedral, and the Episcopal Peace Fellowship.
Available liturgical resources include:
Newtown Action Alliance Foundation: 2022 Nationwide Vigils & Events to End Gun Violence
Interfaith Action (SW Michigan Peace & Justice Collaboration: Gun Violence Reduction Sabbath Resource Packet
Additional advocacy materials may be found in the online diocesan Gun Violence Prevention Tool Kit.