New England Conference Photo by Laura Everett
Bishop Devadhar
United Methodist Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar arrives with other clergy for an interfaith service in Boston following the bombings at the Boston Marathon.
More than 2,000 religious leaders, civic and government leaders, invited guests and community members drew together during an interfaith prayer service, held April 18 at Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston. President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, Governor Deval Patrick, and Mayor Thomas Menino were in attendance at the service to offer support and encouragement for the City of Boston. The service was jointly organized through the governor’s office and with religious leaders from dozens of faith traditions, representing both diversity and unity among Boston’s religious communities and a significant collaboration with political leaders.
President Obama brought words of comfort to the families that lost loved ones, personally memorializing each one by name and with a brief remembrance. He offered prayers for those injured in the blasts, and it became clear as he spoke that his message to them was also meant for the whole city. “As you begin this long journey of recovery, your city is with you. Your commonwealth is with you. Your country is with you. We will all be with you as you learn to stand and walk and, yes, run again. Of that I have no doubt. You will run again. You will run again!”
He offered gratitude for all of the public service workers, doctors and nurses, the National Guard, police, fire and other first responders, and for the citizens of Boston who responded so immediately and immensely.
He also spoke of perseverance.
“Scripture tells us to ‘run with endurance the race that’s set before us,” he said, citing Hebrews 12:1.
As he closed his message, the President spoke words of praise and encouragement for the resilient and enduring spirit of people of Boston.
“We may be momentarily knocked off our feet, but we’ll pick ourselves up. We’ll keep going. We will finish the race. And that’s what you’ve taught us, Boston. That’s what you’ve reminded us…to persevere. To not grow weary. To not get faint. Even when it hurts. Even when our heart aches. We summon the strength that maybe we didn’t even know we had, and we carry on. We finish the race. We finish the race.”
New England Conference Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar, was part of a delegation of religious leaders and was present at the service along with district superintendent Rev. LaTrelle Miller Easterling, and Rev. Marion Easterling of Old West Church in Boston. Also attending the service was Rev. Robert Hill, dean of Marsh Chapel at Boston University. Helping to coordinate the interfaith delegation was the Rev. Laura Everett, a UCC pastor and the executive director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches, of which the New England Conference is an active member.
Bishop Devadhar noted that before the service began, he and a few others had moved back a row to offer more space to accommodate the relatives of the victims of Monday's bombing. Then he observed that “…also seated in front of us were beautiful youth of the Boston Children's Chorus.” One young woman in the chorus was seen crying even as she sang.
“As I see these family members and young people, I am also grieving for the lives lost every day in the world through senseless human acts,” Devadhar said. He noted that experience seemed larger than the events of the city in the past few days, and it drew him to prayer. “The cathedral is packed with people and leaders of all faiths,” he said. “Wherever you are, kindly pray for the healing of our villages, towns and cities around the world.”
District Superintendent Easterling was also moved by sitting near the families and the children’s chorus. “My heart aches for the innocent victims, especially children and youth.”
Rev. Liz Walker of Roxbury Presbyterian Church opened the service with prayer and offered words of welcome to the interfaith religious leaders and the gathered community. A greeting was also shared by the Metropolitan Methodios, the spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston.
After the openings and greetings, a clearly emotional Mayor Thomas Menino gave a reflection that shared his grief and his pain, but also his pride in the city he loves. “This is Boston, a city with courage, compassion, and strength that knows no bounds,” he said. “Nothing can tear down the resilience of this city.”
The Rev. Nancy Taylor, senior minister at Old South Church, a United Church of Christ congregation in Boston, spoke of the significance of the actions of those responding in the first moments after the explosions. "I saw people running toward the danger, making of themselves sacraments of mercy." Rabbi Ronne Friedman, senior rabbi of Temple Israel, Boston, added to the depth of her words with a reading in Hebrew from Psalm 147, translated: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (v3).
The reflections and readings continued to weave a tapestry of grace, strength, and healing for the city. Among the speakers were Nasser S. Wedaddy, chair of the New England Interfaith Council and civil rights outreach director of American Islamic Congress; the Rev. Roberto Miranda, senior pastor of Congregación León de Judá, Roxbury; Bishop John M. Borders II, senior pastor, Morning Star Baptist Church, Mattapan; and Roman Catholic Cardinal Seán O’Malley, who also gave the final blessing as the service ended.
As Gov. Patrick rose to speak, he shared that his faith tradition teaches: “In everything give thanks.” He said that on Monday, he had a hard time finding a way to do that. But then Patrick, who is Presbyterian, shared that he believed the nature of faith “is learning to return to the lessons even when they don’t make sense, when they defy logic.”
His voice lifted as he began to give thanks for all who responded with courage and compassion. “We will remember, I hope and pray, after the buzz of Boylston Street is back and the media has turned its attention elsewhere, that the grace this tragedy exposed is the best of who we are.”