Vigil Mourns Va. Tech Loss

More than 200 undergraduates and University affiliates gathered yesterday for a late-night vigil at Memorial Church to remember the 32 victims of Monday’s mass shooting at Virginia Tech.

The candle-lit service began on the South Porch of the historic building, followed by a service inside the sanctuary.

Plummer Professor of Christian Morals Peter J. Gomes spoke at the 10 p.m. service, which was supported by the Undergraduate Council (UC) and organized by the Memorial Church faculty.

“No one wants to feel like they are alone in tragedies like these,” Gomes, who is also the Pusey minister in Memorial Church, said in an interview before the event. “It’s a natural thing for people to want to come together, so I want to speak to the nature of community and how one deals with fear in the middle of that community.”

Students have struggled with how to cope with the continually updated news of the shooting, as more and more of the details of the tragedy have come out over the course of the week.

The incident, which has gone down in U.S. history as the single deadliest one-day shooting to date, has left campuses across the country in a state of mourning, especially as more information has become available, such as the shooter’s homemade videos sent to NBC.

Throughout his address, Gomes emphasized the importance of remembering the tragedy and those affected by it, while recognizing the new appreciation of life that death brings to the living.

Music was provided by the Harvard University Choir, and the congregation was invited to participate in prayers and the reading of Psalm 23.

Robert J. Kenney ’10 said that he found the service to be “very uplifting.”

“Reverend Gomes really captured what I was feeling,” Kenney said. “He gave a positive and respectful message about the tragedy.”

“I thought the service was beautiful,” said Michael R. Ragalie ’09, the chair of the UC’s Student Affairs Committee.

After the service, organizers planned to leave the doors of Memorial Church open until 8:45 a.m. this morning for those wishing to stay for silent prayer and meditation.

“Harvard students asked for this vigil and I’m happy to oblige them,” Gomes said.

Richard D. Kadison, chief of mental health at the Harvard University Health Services, said that there will be a drop-in group this afternoon at 4 p.m. for those who wish to discuss the tragedy.

“We have seen a number of students here at mental health services and at the Bureau of Study Counsel who wanted to talk about the impact of this with an individual,” he wrote in an e-mailed statement.