Franciscan friars, sisters hold peace vigils to promote nonviolence

Published: 2008-07-02

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (CNS) -- For the past few years the Franciscan friars and sisters in Syracuse have been conducting peace vigils to remind people in the community there is an alternative to violence. "As Franciscans, part of the whole thing is peace and reconciliation," Franciscan Sister Dolores Bush, one of the organizers, told the Catholic Sun, newspaper of the Syracuse Diocese. "And this is a way to create awareness about violence in our city." A recent peace vigil was held in front of the property where 17-year-old Anthony Williams was shot. Any time there is a murder in Syracuse, the friars send out a mass e-mail to subscribers who request them. Participants in the peace vigil meet at the friary and then carpool to the scene of the murder. According to Sister Dolores, a vigil might have as many as 25 to 30 participants or as few as five or six. Franciscan Sister James Peter Ridgeo recalled a poignant vigil in front of an apartment complex where a shooting had taken place and residents joined in the prayers. "They were very touched that we had come to pray for their loved one," she said.

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