Religious Leaders Declare Day of Mourning
A DAY TO MOURN
Friends,
This week, our country
surpassed the 100,000 milestone of deaths related to Covid-19. While we can empathize with the devastation
of one death on one family, especially one we know, it is hard to wrap our
heads around such a large number as 100,000.
In just 3 months.
100,000 is more than all US
deaths in the Korean and Vietnam wars combined.
100,000 is 30 times the
deaths from 9/11.
100,000 fills the Aloha
Stadium twice over.
This has happened so quickly
and we are still in the midst of the “first wave.” The high number of deaths in certain urban
areas and the physical distancing requirements in all areas have delayed even
the simplest rituals for mourners.
Faith leaders across the
nation have issued a call to pause this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to lament
and mourn.
This Sunday, I ask all of CCH
to pause at noon for a few minutes to lament and mourn the loss of life, to
pray for solace and peace to the survivors of the virus and for the families of
those who have died. Pause to give
thanks that our state’s leaders chose difficult but necessary measures and that
so many of us have cared enough for each other to follow these measures. Pause to pray that God’s strength continues
to support the medical professions, the first responders, law enforcement, and
essential workers. Pause to consider how
we can be of service to those hurting in our communities as required by Jesus—the
unemployed, the homeless, the poor, the mentally ill. Pause to thank God for life, the beauty of creation,
and the coming of the Holy Spirit to journey with us.
Peace to you,
Pastor Frances
Excerpts from “A call to
grieve and honor those who have died from COVID-19 and join together in a
National Day of Mourning and Lament for the healing of our nation.”
Our nation has passed a
grievous point in history: 100,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. As people
of faith, we cannot allow this grim number to go unnoticed. Always and
everywhere, it is the duty of religious communities to remember the dead and mourn
their passing. From generation to generation, we have been given this task: to
speak their names and honor their lives. The deaths of 100,000 Americans shall
not pass by unmarked and unlamented.
The rapid spread of the
disease, the scope of its impact, and the mitigation through “social
distancing” has prevented the time and space for us to grieve. It has been
impossible to bury our dead as people have for thousands of years—communally
and intimately with friends, family, and neighbors. As religious leaders, we
are deeply connected with our nation’s pain. Both as individuals and
collectively as a nation, we need time to stop, reflect, pray, mourn, and honor
the dead.
On May 29, 30, and 31 —
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday — America’s religious communities will gather for
the first time following this grim 100,000 marker — many of us still virtually.
Keeping with their own traditions and practices, each will mourn our American
dead and pray for the healing of our nation.
On Friday, with Ramadan
finished, Muslims will remember the revelation of the Quran. On Friday and
Saturday, Jews will remember God’s covenant as they celebrate Shavuot and read
their yizkhor (remembrance) prayers. On Sunday, Christians will celebrate Pentecost
Sunday, when the first Christians were given courage through the reception of
the Holy Spirit. We will name, honor, lament, and offer our tributes to the
lives and families of those who have died. The Christian prayers of mourning
for the 100,000 dead will be offered across our Protestant, Catholic,
Evangelical, Pentecostal, African American, Hispanic, Asian American, and
Native American traditions and communities.
We will ask God to help heal
our land in a moment of mourning as we honor those who have died, often without
their loved ones around them.
Our lament will also honor
hard truths we have learned during this pandemic: Our suffering has been
unequal, elders have been vulnerable and alone, black and brown neighbors have
borne disproportionately the brunt of sickness and death and the front lines
labor of the fight against this disease. Native communities, our land’s
original caretakers, have been particularly hard hit — as they have been so
many times in the past. Asian Americans have been targeted by hateful words and
actions. Our prayers for the healing of the nation must acknowledge the
brokenness of our democracy and rededicate ourselves to repair the injustices
this pandemic has revealed, even as work for the healing of those who are
afflicted with the virus.
This vocation of the faith
community to stop, name, feel, remember, memorialize, and pray for the dead,
their families and their friends unites all our traditions and transcends our
politics.
FULL COPY OF THE LETTER
A National Day of Mourning
and Lament
A call to grieve and
honor those who have died from COVID-19 and join together in a National Day of
Mourning and Lament for the healing of our nation
Our nation has passed a
grievous point in history: 100,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. As people
of faith, we cannot allow this grim number to go unnoticed. Always and
everywhere, it is the duty of religious communities to remember the dead and
mourn their passing. From generation to generation, we have been given this
task: to speak their names and honor their lives. The deaths of 100,000
Americans shall not pass by unmarked and unlamented.
It is hard to comprehend this
magnitude of deaths in so short a time. The past three months have been some of
the deadliest in U.S. history. Americans have endured more death than in many
of our wars, as we just memorialized last weekend. At 100,000 deaths, COVID-19
becomes the fifth most deadly event in U.S. history. The number of deceased is
equivalent to whole towns and cities. The pandemic now ranks among those
moments in the life of our nation marked by national remembrances, somber
memorials, and moving tributes. As people of faith, we cannot let this moment
pass unnoticed. The nation must be given the chance to mourn, lament, and
remember the dead.
The rapid spread of the
disease, the scope of its impact, and the mitigation through “social
distancing” has prevented the time and space for us to grieve. It has been
impossible to bury our dead as people have for thousands of years—communally
and intimately with friends, family, and neighbors. As religious leaders, we
are deeply connected with our nation’s pain. Both as individuals and
collectively as a nation, we need time to stop, reflect, pray, mourn, and honor
the dead.
To meet this need, religious
communities across faiths will act with unprecedented unity, gathering together
safely to mourn, memorialize, and remember their lives both in our diverse
faith traditions and in our public squares. Together, we will pray for the
healing of our nation.
On May 29, 30, and 31 —
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday — America’s religious communities will gather for
the first time following this grim 100,000 marker — many of us still virtually.
Keeping with their own traditions and practices, each will mourn our American
dead and pray for the healing of our nation.
On Friday, with Ramadan
finished, Muslims will remember the revelation of the Quran. On Friday and
Saturday, Jews will remember God’s covenant as they celebrate Shavuot and read
their yizkhor (remembrance) prayers. On Sunday, Christians will
celebrate Pentecost Sunday, when the first Christians were given courage
through the reception of the Holy Spirit. We will name, honor, lament, and
offer our tributes to the lives and families of those who have died. The
Christian prayers of mourning for the 100,000 dead will be offered across our
Protestant, Catholic, Evangelical, Pentecostal, African American, Hispanic,
Asian American, and Native American traditions and communities.
But religious communities do
not act alone. We call too on political leaders — the president, senators and
members of Congress, governors, and mayors—to lead a National Day of Mourning
and Lament on Monday, June 1 — at noon local time — to pause to remember those
who have died. It will be appropriate for flags to be lowered and to observe
moments of silence, mourning, memorial, prayer, reflection, and bell ringing.
We will stop. We will remember. We will mourn and honor our dead. We will pray
for the healing of the nation.
In the days prior to our
national weekend of remembrance, we invite Americans to use social media and
other communication platforms to post prayers and laments, names, photos, and
tributes to those who have died of the coronavirus in the United States, using
the hashtags #Lament100k and #DayofMourning. In many civic spaces, outside
places of worship and our homes, groups or individuals may place empty chairs
with the names, dates, and photos as tribute to and in remembrance of those who
are no longer with us.
We will ask God to help heal
our land in a moment of mourning as we honor those who have died, often without
their loved ones around them. We come together both to weep and to rejoice for
those lives that have been lost. We shall mourn the loss of so many Americans,
many known only to families and friends, coworkers and neighbors. We will mourn
family members and friends whom we loved; worked and worshiped with; ate,
played, and prayed with; important members of our communities, some who were on
the front lines of caring for and serving others; and those we passed on the
street with a smile and nod. By God’s grace, we will mourn with families who
have not been able to memorialize, mourn, or properly bury their dead.
Our lament will also honor
hard truths we have learned during this pandemic: Our suffering has been unequal,
elders have been vulnerable and alone, black and brown neighbors have borne
disproportionately the brunt of sickness and death and the front lines labor of
the fight against this disease. Native communities, our land’s original
caretakers, have been particularly hard hit — as they have been so many times
in the past. Asian Americans have been targeted by hateful words and actions.
Our prayers for the healing of the nation must acknowledge the brokenness of
our democracy and rededicate ourselves to repair the injustices this pandemic
has revealed, even as work for the healing of those who are afflicted with the
virus.
This vocation of the faith
community to stop, name, feel, remember, memorialize, and pray for the dead,
their families and their friends unites all our traditions and transcends our
politics.
This momentous and tragic
100,000 marker will not be an empty data point on death's grim graph. We will
remember those whom we loved and pray for both healing and hope — for our
nation and the world. As a people, we have borne this pandemic's cost in the
lives of our loved ones. As a nation, we shall honor and mourn them together.
As faith leaders, we must
help to lead our congregations, communities, and country in this time of grief
and lament in a way that will lead us forward more united as a country to
address the very real challenges we face ahead. And that we must do together.
Rev. Eddy Alemán, General
Secretary, Reformed Church in America
Dr Claude Alexander, Pastor,
The Park Church
Scott Arbeiter, President,
World Relief
Rev Cornelius Atkinson,
Pastor/State Chairman, Church of God Ministries – Anderson, IN
Archbishop Vicken Aykazian,
Archbishop, Legate and Executive Director of Ecumenical Office of the Armenian
Orthodox Church, Armenian Orthodox Church
Dr. Nicole Baker Fulgham,
President, The Expectations Project
Bishop Carroll Baltimore,
Bishop, Global Alliance Interfaith Networks
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber,
II, Co-chair, Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival
Sr. Bridget Bearss, Executive
Director, Stuart Center
Rev. David Beckmann,
President, Bread for the World
Rev. Traci Blackmon,
Associate General Minister, United Church of Christ
Rev. Dr. Timothy Tee Boddie,
President, Boddie and Soul Ministries
Carol Bremer-Bennett,
Executive Director, US, World Renew
Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas,
Dean, Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary
Dr. Walter Brueggemann,
Professor, Columbia Theological Seminary
John Carr, Director,
Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, Georgetown University
Rev. Dr. Iva Carruthers,
General Secretary, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference
Rev. Eugene Cho,
President-Elect, Bread for the World
Shane Claiborne, co-founder,
Red Letter Christians
Rev. Paula Clayton Dempsey,
Director of Partnership Relations, Alliance of Baptists
The Most Rev. Michael B.
Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate, The Episcopal Church
Kaitlin Curtice, Author and
Speaker
Marie Dennis, Senior Advisor,
Pax Christi International
Sister Karen Donahue, RSM,
Justice Team Member, Sisters of Mercy
Reverend Elizabeth Eaton,
Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Rev. Dr. Bob Ekblad, Pastor
and Co-founder, Tierra Nueva
Rev. Dr. Claude Forehand,
Pastor, First Baptist Church of Kannapolis
Rev. Dr. Robert M. Franklin,
President Emeritus, Morehouse College
Rev. Donnie Garris,
Moderator, United Missionary Baptist Association
Rev. Joel Gibson, Executive
Director, The Micah Interfaith Clergy Table of New York City
The Rt. Rev. J. Christian
Giesler, Bishop, The Moravian Church
Rev. Dr. Aaron Graham, Lead
Pastor, The District Church
Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson,
Secretary Emeritus, Reformed Church in America
Susan Gunn, Director,
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Dr. Mimi Haddad, President,
CBE International
Reverend Jeffrey Haggray,
Executive Director, American Baptist Home Mission Society
Rev. Dr. Cynthia Hale, Senior
Pastor, Ray of Hope Christian Church (DOC)
Rev. Adam Hamilton, Pastor,
United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
Rev. Dr. Richard Hamm,
Retired General Minister and President, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Lisa Sharon Harper, President
and Founder, Freedom Road, LLC
Rev. Fred Harrell, Founder
and Sr. Pastor, City Church San Francisco
Rev. Jimmie R. Hawkins,
Director of the PCUSA Office of Public Witness, Presbyterian Church (USA)
Rev. Joey Haynes, University
Chaplain, Queens University of Charlotte
Rev. Dr. Peter Heltzel,
Associate Professor of Theology, New York Theological Seminary
Rev. Dr. Suzanne Watts
Henderson, Dean of Belk Chapel and Professor of Religion, Queens University
Rev. Teresa Hord Owens,
General Minister & President, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Rev. Dr. Joel Hunter,
Chairman, Community Resource Network
Hyepin Im, President and CEO,
Faith and Community Empowerment
Rev. Dr. Cassandra Aline
Jones, Professor, Rockbridge Theological Seminary
Kathy Khang, Board
vice-chair, Evangelicals for Social Action
Rev. Dr. Walter Kim,
President, National Association of Evangelicals
Sr. Janet Korn, Sister,
Sisters of Mercy.
Dr Mark Labberton, President,
Fuller Theological Seminary
Kim Lamberty, Director,
Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation, Stuart Center
Dr. Paul Leeland, Bishop, The
United Methodist Church Charlotte Area
Rev. Jo Anne Lyon, Ambassador
and General Superintendent Emerita, The Wesleyan Church
Rev. Carlos L Malave,
Executive Director, Christian Churches Together
Rev. Michael Mata, Pastor,
Los Angeles First Church of the Nazarene
Dr. Walter McCray, President,
National Black Evangelical Association
Sister Patricia McDermott,
RSM, President, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Institute Leadership Team
Brian McLaren, Pastor and
Author, Vote Common Good
Noah Merrill, Yearly Meeting
Secretary, New England Yearly Meeting of Friends (Quakers)
Rev. Dr. Betsy Miller,
President, Moravian Church Northern Province
Rev. Dr. Otis Moss Jr.,
Pastor Emeritus, Olivet Institutional Baptist Church
Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III,
Senior Pastor, Trinity United Church of Christ
David Neff, Director of
Music, Church of the Nativity & Holy Comforter, Baltimore
Dr. Mary Nelson, Interim
President & CEO, Christian Community Development Association
Dr. Ruth Padilla DeBorst,
President, Community of Interdisciplinary Theological Studies (CETI)
Rev Doug Pagitt, Executive
Director, Vote Common Good
Rev. Adam Phillips,
Co-founder, Faith 2020
Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah,
Professor, North Park Theological Seminary
Elaina Ramsey, Executive
Director, Red Letter Christians
Diane Randall, General
Secretary, Friends Committee on National Legislation
Bishop Lawrence Reddick,
Senior Bishop, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Christian Methodist
Episcopal Church
Rev. Dr. Katharine Rhodes
Henderson, President, Auburn Seminary
Rev. Dr. Raymond Rivera,
Bishop Designate, Latino Pastoral Action Center & Sanctuary Church
The Rev. Dr. C.K. Robertson,
Canon to the Presiding Bishop for Ministry Beyond the Church, The Episcopal
Church
Dr. J. Elvin Sadler, General
Secretary-Auditor, The A.M.E. Zion Church
Rev. Dr. Gabriel Salguero,
President, National Latino Evangelical Coalition
Rev. Dr. Alexia Salvatierra,
Assistant Professor of Integral Mission and Transformational Development,
Fuller Theological Seminary
Rev. Dr. Rob Schenck,
President, The Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute
Dr. Stephen Schneck, Executive
Director, Franciscan Action Network
Micky ScottBey Jones,
Director of Healing and Resilience Initiatives, Faith Matters Network
Ronald J. Sider, President
emeritus, Evangelicals for Social Action
Rev. Gail Song Bantum, Lead
Pastor, Quest Church
Rev. Ron Stief, Executive
Director, National Religious Campaign Against Torture
Rev. Richard Tafel, Pastor,
Church of the Holy City, Swedenborgian Church
Rev. Adam Taylor, Executive
Director, Sojourners
Bishop Efraim Tendero,
Secretary General, World Evangelical Alliance
Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia
Thompson, Associate General Minister, United Church of Christ
Nikki Toyama-Szeto, Executive
Director, Evangelicals for Social Action
Rev. Jim Wallis, President
and Founder, Sojourners
Pastor Colin Watson, Sr.,
Executive Director (acting), Christian Reformed Church in North America
Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner,
Co-Convener, National African American Clergy Network
Rev. Jonathan
Wilson-Hartgrove, Director, School for Conversion
Mr. James Winkler, President,
National Council of Churches
Sister Carol Zinn, Executive
Director, Leadership Conference of Women Religious
Mr. Johnny Zokovitch,
Executive Director, Pax Christi USA
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