On Wednesday, July 22, the Burgess Committee of Grace Episcopal Church will sponsor a Candlelight Prayer Vigil for Reconciliation and Peace at 7:30 pm at Dennis Alley Park, also known as Waban Park, in Oak Bluffs.
The vigil will incorporate non-sectarian prayers for victims of racial violence and racism, prayers for all affected by COVID-19, and prayers for the country as a whole. The event will feature speakers from representative groups on the Island.
Rev. Stephen Harding, the Rector of Grace Church, shared that the goal of the vigil is to bring the community together around racial justice and various other intersecting issues.
The vigil had originally been scheduled for early July.
“In the intervening time, COVID-19 exploded across the country. Unemployment went up, and the benefits are scheduled to run out really soon. Nobody really knows what to do with the schools,” said Rev. Harding. “It just seemed to me that there is so much going on, plus the election. It just seemed to me that there’s a lot of anxiety, a lot of uncertainty, and probably some fear.”