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Mourning the Children
by Terry Collins
Star Tribune Staff Writer
Published December 29, 2004
Dear Children of Iraq...
There was a candlelight vigil in your honor Tuesday at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. The people at the vigil were thinking about you and others your age who have become victims during the conflicts in Fallujah, Mosul, Najaf, Samarra and, of course, Baghdad.
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| – photo © StarTribune. Carlos Gonzalez |
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| Donna Neste put out candles during a service held at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Minneapolis to remember children of Iraq and other young victims of war. The 150 [250] candles being snuffed out symbolized the 150 [250] children who die every day because of war. |
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Steve Clemens, 54, of Minneapolis told the crowd of more than 300 people of all ages and many backgrounds that more than 1,300 American service members have died in Iraq as of Monday and that countless Iraqi children also have lost their loved ones.
Like many of those in attendance, he remembers the day of carnage two months ago on which 34 children were killed in a series of car bombs in Baghdad and northern Iraq.
"We wonder what the future will hold for our children and grandchildren and the children of Iraq if the current hostilities continue," Clemens said.
Inspired, those in the audience responded, "We must awaken the conscience of our nation. Let us have the courage to act."
Meg Novak, 30, of Minneapolis, who traveled to Iraq to see children like you two years ago, challenged the audience to think about what thousands of you are going through, and even encouraged them to talk with family and friends who may not share the same beliefs.
She said, "What kind of world are we creating for these children when the massacre of children can happen and we don't stop what we are doing for one minute to think about it? Have the courage to feel, to lose it, at this insanity. Next time you are touched by this, cry, scream, pull your hair.
"Let your barriers fall and feel the pain. ... The future of the world is depending on each one of us."
The mood grew more somber and tears started flowing as Mel Duncan, 54, of St. Paul, addressed the audience. He told them how painfully he misses his 24-year-old son, Elmer, a sergeant with an Army National Guard unit from Anoka stationed 35 miles northeast of Baghdad. He said he has nightmares about two soldiers arriving at his door in a dark blue sedan to say that his "son is no more."
Yet, like your parents, he also is worried about you, thousands of miles away, amidst all of the conflict.
"We stand with our children," Duncan said. "We recommit to defend our children, whether they be named Omar, Rieke or Elmer ... in these dark times such actions require even deeper acts of courage and hope...." |
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The annual candlelight service for the child victims of war, Out of Darkness, Into the Light, is organized by the Twin Cities Peace Campaign and co-sponsored by dozens of Twin City area churches and justice and peace groups. The event is held yearly on the Feast of the Holy Innocents.
2004 Co-sponsors included:
Twin Cities Peace Campaign - Focus on Iraq, Babylon Art & Cultural Center, Basilica of St. Mary Peace & Justice Council, Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, Cabrini Justice and Peace Coalition, CircleVision.org, Church of St. Phillip, Committee for Global Solidarity Mary Queen of Peace Church, Community of St. Martin, Convent of the Good Shepherd, Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, Franciscans International, Friends for a Non-Violent World, Gethsemane Episcopal Church. Global Ministries of Our Savior Lutheran Church of Circle Pines, Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church Peace & Justice Committee, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Mn Fellowship of Reconciliation, Mt. Olive Neighborhood Action Committee, Oakdale Avenue United Methodist Church, Office for Social Justice, Pax Christi Catholic Community, Pax Christi Twin Cities, People of Faith Peacemakers, Plymouth Presbyterian Church, Sacred Heart Church Peace and Justice Committee, School Sisters of Notre Dame Justice and Peace Office, Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet Justice Commission, St. Joan of Arc Church, St. Joan of Arc/WAMM Peacemakers, St. John Neumann Pax Christi, St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, St. Luke Presbyterian Church, St. Mark Catholic Church, St. Mark Episcopal Cathedral Outreach Council, St. Mary of the Lake Sowers of Justice, St. Mary of the Lake Just Faith Justice Group, St. Paul Mennonite Fellowship, St. Stephen Lutheran Peace & Justice Task Force, St. Stephen Justice Committee, Social Action Committee of White Bear Unitarian Universalist Church, Sowers of Justice of the Church of Christ the King, Veterans for Peace Chapter 27, United Church of Christ in New Brighton, University Baptist Church Waging Peace Group, University Lutheran Church of Hope Peacemakers, Women Against Military Madness and others. |
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