Prayers for Uvalde – St. Mark's Episcopal Church

Prayers for Uvalde

"Weeping Angels"

St. Mark’s joins the church and the nation in mourning the victims of the mass shooting event at an elementary school in Uvalde, a small town near San Antonio, Texas. The story is still unfolding, but at this time some eighteen children and two adults are believed to have died.

The Rt. Rev. David Reed, Bishop of West Texas, offered a reflection and call to prayer in response: “Because I believe in eternal life, I trust that the senseless murder of these innocent children is not the final thing to be said about them. If the Gospel is true, it is true in all times and in all places, including in Uvalde tonight. If God is with us, then he is with us even in those times and places where it seems that death and darkness have prevailed.”

Read his full letter and reflection at dwtx.org/blog/prayers-for-uvalde.

The Most Rev. Michael Curry, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, went live on Facebook Tuesday night to offer prayers and comfort.

Among the prayers offered, from the Book of Common Prayer, upon the death of a child:

O God, whose beloved Son took children into his arms and
blessed them: Give us grace to entrust them to your never-
failing care and love, and bring us all to your heavenly
kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for
ever. Amen.

The news reached us even as residents of Teaneck were gathering on the Municipal Green in solidarity with those affected by another gun attack this past weekend, by an avowed white supremacist, at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York that is primarily frequented by African-Americans.

The Rt. Rev. Carlye J. Hughes, Bishop of Newark, said on her Facebook page: “It is tempting to think nothing we do or say makes a difference. The forces fanning a gun buying spree for several years now covet our discouragement. Discouragement keeps us sad and powerless. But we can make a difference. Vote like you want people to stay alive. Support candidates committed to ending gun violence. No parent of a child killed today is thinking about political party, they are devastated that someone fired away at children in school…again.”

From the Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations, a resource page for responding to gun violence. Learn about church statements, resolutions, prayers, and many other kinds of information and support: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/…/resources-to-respond…/