A Word on the Tragic Attack in Orlando

  Posted on June 12, 2016  by admin  No comments

Dear Ones,

I’m writing this as I begin the second week of my vacation because I’ve learned that there is no such thing as a vacation from violence and acts of terror. The assault on members of the LGBTQ community in Orlando on Sunday morning was the second largest terrorist act on American soil since September 11, 2011.

It will be some time before we know exactly who was behind this tragic event and I’m not sure how important that information is. In the end, parents have lost children, friends have lost friends, relationships have come to an abrupt end. What I continue to believe is that all of these horrible acts of destruction and murder are rooted in hate- hate that is born out of fear of those who are in any way different from those who hate and hate that through rhetoric takes on a life of its own, resulting in atrocities like what we have seen in Orlando and in many places before it.

I hope that the St. Paul’s community can include a response to the Orlando killings during the annual Pride Service we will offer on Saturday, June 25, at 5 pm.

Pray for those who have lost loved ones, those who are injured and who witnessed this horror, and for those for whom hate is such a powerful force that it drives them to do the unthinkable.

Blessings,
Father Nicholas