About 150 people gathered at Wainwright’s Church of the Nazarene Wednesday night for a prayer vigil as the community continued to grieve.
The gathering came days after a deadly training exercise at nearby CFB Wainwright. Four Canadian Armed Forces members were killed and dozens of others were injured when soldiers were caught in a fast-moving grass fire on Saturday. The soldiers killed were Sgt. Morgan Wong, Pte. Shaun Farrell, Pte. Aidan Goulding and Pte. Hayden Lykkemark.
Wednesday night’s vigil brought the focus back to a community coping with that loss.
Residents filled the church for an evening of prayer, songs and reflection. Ministers representing seven area churches led those gathered in prayer. They asked for blessings for the soldiers who died, those who were injured, their families, first responders and the wider community.
Pastor Ryan Wood said there are no adequate answers for the suffering and loss the community has endured.
Residents bowed their heads during a moment of silence while prayers also recognized those who stepped forward to help.
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Bruce Pugh, Wainwright’s mayor, described the gathering as an opportunity for residents to come together and let their “hearts beat together.”
Wood said people in Wainwright have been looking for ways to demonstrate their support. “We just want to let everyone know that’s been affected by this that they’re loved and cared for – and give people an opportunity to express their own sense of grief and mourning as well,” he said.
For many people in Wainwright, the connection to the military is personal, almost every church in the community has a parishioner who is a soldier at the nearby base.
Wainwright resident Elaine Smith said attending the vigil was a way to pay respect to the military and show support. “We’ve taken it just as hard as anybody would, because we’re a small community and we really are close,” she said.
As time passes and residents learn more about the victims, those at the vigil said emotions surrounding the loss continue to surface.
Pugh said feelings that may initially have been pushed aside are now beginning to emerge.
The evening included hugs and other gestures of support as residents continued to mourn together.
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My thoughts are with the families affected by this tragedy. Hopefully people will wait for the Board of Inquiry to rule instead of posting misinformation about the event.