Dear Friends,
Four people gathered to pray for peace on Independence Mall on December 19. Not many seemed to be walking around. A group of four visitors who stopped to see our literature surprised me with a Spanish thanks: Gracias! They were from Mexico and Spain, and said that they were interested in the Quakers. I prayed, as I have been praying in these gatherings, for peace and love and forgiveness in my heart. My thoughts ran sometimes from Quito (How are the people in the Plaza Grande doing?) to Colombia to Chechnia to Africa (How can we stop the massacre?), then returned to the contemplation of my own condition, to the pray for healing in my own soul.
At the end, one of the vigillers, John Gallery, shared with us his seasonal greetings, with a picture taken by his son Wyatt:
GO PLACIDLY AMID THE NOISE AND HASTE
AND REMEMBER WHAT PEACE THERE MAY BE IN SILENCEYou are a child of the child of the universe, no less than the trees and stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive God to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.
Be careful.
Strive to be happy.(From the Desiderata, Found in Old Saint Paul's Church, Baltimore, MD, dated 1692)
Marcelle writes from Woodstock, VA:
This was the coldest day of the vigil to date, under cloudy skies. I was joined for most of the hour by John and Diane, a husband and wife who have dedicated their retirement years to serving God by volunteering full time at Saint John Bosco's Church. They prayed with me in silence for a time and then I joined with them in praying a Divine Mysteries chaplet, which asks for mercy for us and for the Earth. For a while we had the company of my mother, sister Kate, three-year-old nephew Alex, and two-year-old niece Leila. I noticed many people waving as they passed us, and several honked.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE
Independence Mall Vigil for PeacePlease join us at our weekly prayer vigils for peace in the world, held in front of the Liberty Bell on Market St. between 5th and 6th, every Sunday from 4 to 5 PM. For more information, contact cityquake@aol.com.
In our reports, participants share their experiences of the prayer vigils and explore beliefs related to their participation. Reports reflect the experience of each author and do not necessarily represent the beliefs or practice of all vigil participants. We welcome your responses, which are forwarded to the individual authors (when possible). We sometimes include part of a response in a future report, unless you ask us not to.
It is meaningful to us that you share in the vigils by reading these reports and in other ways, such as joining us in prayer.
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:18 AM