MONTREAL — A week after the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, which killed 49 people, Montrealers are showing that the Orlando victims are very much in their thoughts and prayers.
Sunday afternoon, dozens of people attended a special mass at St. James United Church in downtown Montreal.
The message was clear: in the face of terror, love will always prevail.
“It’s not something that has only affected the people of Orlando, or just the LGBT community,” said Reverend Arlen John Bonnar, who presided the service.
“It has touched a lot of people. So there needs to be a time of quietness, a time of healing, a time of looking forward to hope.”
People of all faiths and backgrounds were invited to take part in Sunday’s collective mourning.
Through song, prayer and words, those in attendance paid their respects to the victims of the attack.
Forty-nine candles burned during the service, one for each of the 49 victims whose names were read out loud throughout the ceremony.
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“Having such a service to reemphasize again that there is no place for homophobia, racism, for Islamophobia, it is always necessary to redo it again once in a while when such an event comes,” said Jean-Luc Safari, who was in attendance.
As people walked out of the church Sunday afternoon, they sang a song of support for the LGBTQ community, and prayed that this sort of gathering is never needed again.
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“We shouldn’t have to do this kind of terrible mourning together for these kinds of things,” said Reverend Bonnar.
“So we are trying to take one more step to healing and moving us forward.”
Although a week has passed since the heinous massacre, Montrealers proved once more that the Orlando victims may be gone, but they will never be forgotten.
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