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The Cathedral of St. Andrew will hold an ecumenical and interfaith prayer vigil service Friday in response to the Wednesday night shooting in a South Carolina church that left six women and three men dead.
At the vigil, which will get underway at 5:30 p.m. at 229 Queen Emma Square, the Rev. Robert L. Fitzpatrick, who serves as Episcopal bishop of Hawaii, will offer brief remarks. Clergy from across denominations and faith traditions are invited to participate and “pray for our nation, for the community of Charleston, and for the survivors and victims” at The Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, according to a news release.
The Rev. Walter Brownridge, dean of the Cathedral of St. Andrew, said in the release, “As we gather in prayer, it is my hope that as a community we can stand in solidarity with those in Charleston who are suffering such unimaginable pain, and that we can commit ourselves to pray and work for peace, for the end of violence (especially gun violence), and to strive for racial justice and reconciliation.”
A condolence book will be available for the public to sign. The book will be sent to the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina to be delivered to Emanuel AME Church.
The Associated Press reported that police have arrested Dylann Storm Roof, a 21-year-old who had complained that “blacks were taking over the world” and that “someone needed to do something about it for the white race,” according to a friend who alerted the FBI.
