Like many places of worship around the country last night, Brookside Congregational Church in Manchester held a service commemorating the death of thousands of Americans. NHPR?s Dan Gorenstein attended the interfaith service and prepared this report.
Like many places of worship around the country last night, Brookside Congregational Church in Manchester held a service commemorating the death of thousands of Americans. NHPR?s Dan Gorenstein attended the interfaith service and prepared this report.
Around 7 pm last night, about 200 Catholics, Protestants, Jews and Muslims met at the Brookside Congregational Church to grieve together. Religious leaders from around the city prepared brief comments in hopes of making some contact. Pastor Bill Donahue.
:41 I think people are looking for ways to be together in each others company. And express the grief they feel. I think people feel very weighed down by the heavy burden of sorrow. We need to consider the enormous loss of life, and just the tragedy that we are just beginning to understand.
Sfx: hymn
The three sponsors for last night?s event have had ample opportunity to sing together. St. Catherines, Temple Adath Yeseserun, and Brookside Congregational have made a tradition of gathering every Thanksgiving for the last 30 years.
In 1986, after the Challenger blew up the religious leaders gathered here. But why did people attend this service last night? For many, it was an opportunity to mourn, but an opportunity to mourn with people from different faiths. Which is a big part of the reason why Shirley and Al, parishioners of St. Catherine?s, attended.
6:33 they are saying that prejudice is such a big thing, that?s why we could have gone to the Cathedral tonight, but I just felt it was a very warm feeling to come to this church and have a rabbi here, and Monsignor Hannigan is our pastor, and I just feel real strongly about the coming together of the three churches.
Maureen just came to cope.
7:50 just a sense of communion. And a sense of unity. This has broken my heart, and I hope to find a little comfort here. That?s all.
Rabbi Arthur Starr wants to help the community grow and heal from what he calls an American Tragedy.
12:48 I had a meeting with some of our young students in the religious school and I came in. I started to talk to them, and I realized I probably couldn?t finish the sentence. And I said, you know what, you are probably going to go home to your parents and say you had an assembly so you could watch Rabbi Starr cry. I said it?s O.K. to cry. And I did. And they cried with me.
He says releasing and recognizing emotions can help the mourning process. But right now congregation members are seeking answers. Something he can?t give.
13:42 I don?t know what, I don?t know how people can behave this way. I don?t know what could drive people to this. I don?t have answers for that, but I am willing to listen to questions and struggle through that. I don?t have answers, I wish I did, but I don?t.
Neither does Dr. Suja D Salim. He is a Muslim medical doctor in the area, and was invited to speak. His words were short and simple. It was a prayer
:07 prayer in Arabic
Translated it says all praises to God, we pray to you, and ask you for help. Show us the right path, the path of all you have favored, not the path you have incurred your wrath, and not those who have gone astray.
Towards the end of the service, people gathered and sang. For NHPR News, I?m DG
Sfx: America the Beautiful
