Clergy counter murders with prayer vigils

Rev. Frank O'Connor heard the gunshots as he was celebrating a Spanish-language Mass in 1996 at St. Patrick's parish in Albany.

A resident of Albany's West Hill neighborhood had been speaking on a public telephone when another man, in a rage against the first, came up and murdered him.

A few weeks later, clergy of various faiths announced the first of what would become a series of events following tragedies: a prayer vigil at the site of the murder.

Moment to remember

The families of the victim and perpetrator, and neighborhood residents were invited to gather at the spot to hear readings from Scripture, sing hymns together and speak about the loved one they had lost.

Leading them were clergy from Albany's Trinity United Methodist Church, Star of Bethlehem Baptist Church, St. John's Lutheran Church, Church of God of Prophecy, Victory Chapel and St. Patrick's, among others.

First proposed at a meeting of the West Hill Ministerial Fellowship, an interdenominational association of clergy, the vigils are a way to fight the despair triggered by violence in the troubled Albany neighborhood.

Sacredness of life

"When there are murders in our area, it's very damaging to our community," Father O'Connor explained. "It lowers the morale and the spirit of the people. And if we act like nothing's happened, it feels like the person's life was insignificant. To pray at the place of a murder represents our proclamations that life is precious, life is valuable."

Rev. Ward Greer of the Albany United Methodist Society feels that the ministerial group has "no choice" but to hold the vigils.

"If we don't say that life is sacred and do everything we can to keep people from violence," he said, "I don't know who else will. To do it in the community most affected by the violence -- that's where the healing needs to begin, the reconciliation needs to occur."

Sites of loss

Two years after their inception, at least ten vigils have been held. A doctor who just moved to the U.S. from the Sudan was shot on Ontario Street by children with guns; the son of a St. Patrick's parishioner was murdered in a tragic case of mistaken identity. Murders also occurred on Third Street and on the corner of Orange Street and Henry Johnson Boulevard.

In each case, the area was leafleted several weeks later with announcements of a vigil in memory of the victim. The vigils are usually well attended, although it is rare for a perpetrator's family to attend.

"Certainly, we have made an impact," Rev. Greer told The Evangelist. "We hold the vigil at the site of the occurrence and march to one of the churches. People join the march who haven't planned on it; we do attract participants along the way. Last time, we had a police escort."

Making a difference

The vigils impact the clergy who lead them, as well. Father O'Connor said that participating in the vigils "makes me more aware that the young people who live in these neighborhoods are terribly frustrated. They don't believe a happy life is a possibility. Life often gives way to violence and drugs as a result of it."

As the fight against the death penalty in New York State rages on, the clergy hope that countering the violence of murder with the non-violence of prayer will have an effect on more than the neighborhood.

"Violence is bold; therefore, non-violence has to be just as bold," stated Rev. Greer. "It may be a stretch, but I don't think [the West Hill murders and capital punishment] are unrelated. The death penalty is the ultimate in terms of violence. I am personally against the death penalty."

Respect for life

Father O'Connor spoke of the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin's image of life as a "seamless garment."

"Any time human life is respected and reverenced, it brings about a more peaceful situation," the priest stated. "To respond in a violent way to violence is counter-productive. There are alternatives to violence."

The group has seen hope on the horizon: No murders, and therefore no vigils, have taken place in West Hill in 1998. "I'm hopeful that times have changed," Father O'Connor remarked.

Time of quiet

Time will tell whether peace has finally come to West Hill. But if violence is used on another human being, said Rev. Greer, it will not go unwitnessed.

"We believe fundamentally in the sacredness of human life. We're going to be there," he said.

Noted Father O'Connor: "The family and community is injured by the violence. The medicine of prayer and love needs to be applied to the area of the rupture."

(04-30-98)