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March 15, 2018By William T. Clew | The Catholic Free Press
NORTHBOROUGH - In a simple, solemn ceremony, in St. Bernadette Church Wednesday, eighth-grade students at St. Bernadette Elementary School remembered those students and staff who were shot and killed a month ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
The eighth-graders walked in procession from the school to the church. Seventeen of them carried a red rose, the 18th, a white rose. After they were seated in pews in the front of the church the program began with a prayer.
“Dear God, You created the world and we are young adults who will soon have it in our hands. Help us now to make a difference so that we will create new life instead of destroying it. Also, help us to use wise judgement in forming opinions about what is right and wrong. Stand by our side, for we are afraid to walk alone. Just be there to listen, and we will answer your call. Through the Virgin Mary, mother of God. Amen.”
After the opening prayer, the commemoration of the lives lost in the Parkland shooting began. Zoe Enos and Spandana Vagwala read the names of each of the 17 shooting victims.
“One rose for Alyssa Alhadeff, who was 14 years old.”
Erin O’Keefe came forward, placed a red rose in a vase at the foot of the altar, and returned to the pew.
“One rose for Scott Biegel, who was 35 years old and was shot after unlocking a door to let students hide.”
Jackson Kamielo came forward, placed a red rose in a vase at the foot of the altar, and returned to the pew.
“One rose for Martin Duque Anguiano, who was 14 years old.”
Mary Rollens Lee came forward, placed a red rose in the vase and returned to the pew.
And it continued. There was a rose for Nicholas Dworet, 17; assistant football coach Aaron Feis, 37, killed while shielding students; James Guttenberg, 14; Chris Hixon, 49, who died while rushing to help students; Luke Hoyer; 15; Cara Loughran, 14; Gina Montalto, 14; Joaquin Oliver, 17; Alaina Petty, 14; Meadow Pollack, 18; Helena Ramsay; 17; Alex Scghacter, 14; Carmen Schentrup, 16; and Peter Wang, 15, who was killed while holding open a door so other students could escape.
After each name was read, the St. Bernadette students paused for one minute of silent prayer.
Finally, a white rose was placed in the vase “to symbolize peace and pray for all the other lives lost in other shootings that have taken place in the past years,” according to the prayer service program. “This prayer service was held in memory of the people killed, not only in Parkland, but for all the students and families that were affected by any of the school shootings that have happened in the past years.”
Other students who placed roses in the vase were Bob Yang, Justin Koo, Mina Utschneider, Mary Stefanski, Sophia Maloney, Hugo Tang, Christopher Hamilton, Martin Ma, Tony Kang, Colin Lake, Matthew Tomasino, Louren Than, Nicole Sousa, Julia Stiles and Grace Dorfield.
The prayer service ended with the students singing the prayer of St. Francis, “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace.”
Deborah O’Neil, St. Bernadette principal, said the eighth-graders planned the entire prayer service.
