As news of starvation mixed with already overwhelming levels of destruction and death in Gaza, Anglicans were among Christians from diverse denominations gathered at Knox Presbyterian Church in Ottawa on the evening of March 6 for an ecumenical evening peace vigil.
“Words fail to convey how heavily the stories of violence and despair emerging from Gaza weigh on our hearts,” said Nelani Colletti, a student intern at the church, reading the opening words for the service. “Alongside Palestinian Christians and their churches many of us have been working and praying for justice for the Palestinian people for years. Now, with countless others around the world, we share the outrage, grief, and sense of helplessness this recent violence and war have awakened. But for the last five months it seems that we, as siblings in Christ and our Churches have been silent before the world, and we recognize that in this case, remaining silent is itself a form of violence. Tonight, we gather. Rooted in truth, compassion and justice, we come to lament, to confess, to ask for forgiveness, to find comfort and to be challenged. Seeking hope, we come to bear witness to the reality of injustice, oppression, and violence. We come to be silent, to sing, to pray.”
The vigil featured readings from Scripture, prayers and hymns, which were led and accompanied by an ecumenical trio of musicians; Anneli Loepp Thiessen, Ottawa Mennonite, vocals and piano; Charlie Edholm (guitar), St. Alban’s Anglican Church; and the Rev. Colin McFarland, St. Margaret’s Anglican Church (violin). Thiessen introduced one of the most beautiful and moving songs explaining that was co-written by a Palestinian woman named Manal Hreib and an Israeli Jewish singer-songwriter Daphna Rosenberg, and it has been sung in Arabic, Hebrew and English at Israeli-Palestinian gatherings. The songwriters generously shared the song to accompany the prayers for peace.
Between darkness and light, I will always walk,
And wherever I will go,
I will open the window of light
and will plant the seeds of love.
The service centred on excerpts from two open letters written by church leaders. The first was written by an ecumenical group of Palestinian church leaders to the Western Church soon after the war began escalating in Gaza in the fall, and the second was written by an ecumenical working group of Canadian church leaders in response.
The Rev. Anthony Bailey and Huda Kandalaft from Parkdale United Church read some excerpts from the letter from the Palestinian church leaders, written last fall as the war in Gaza began escalating following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel.
Words fail to express our shock and grief to the on-going violence and war in our land. We deeply mourn the death and suffering of all people. We are also profoundly troubled when the name of God is invoked to promote violence and religious national ideologies….
We condemn all attacks on civilians, especially defenseless families and children. Yet, we are disturbed by the silence of many church leaders and theologians when it is Palestinian civilians who are killed. …
We find courage in the solidarity we receive from the crucified Christ, and we find hope in the empty tomb. We are steadfast in our hope, resilient in our witness, and continue to be committed to the Gospel of faith, hope, and love, in the face of tyranny and darkness. In the absence of all hope, we cry out our cry of hope.
A working group from the United Church of Canada, the Mennonite Central Committee, The Presbyterian Church in Canada, Roman Catholic groups, the Anglican Church of Canada, and other ecumenical groups wrote a letter in response in December. The Rev. Canon Gary van der Meer from St. John the Evangelist and Heather Paton from St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church read some excerpts from the letter:
Dear Palestinian friends in Christ — We, have heard your Call for Repentance and
respond with contrite hearts and deep sorrow for the ways we have failed God, you, and all who are our family in faith in the land of the Holy One.
We decry the devastating loss of life in Gaza, particularly the deaths of thousands of children. We condemn the lack of moral and political leadership from our government. …
As followers of Jesus, who taught love and compassion, we condemn all violence. We condemn the violent actions of Hamas in killing innocent civilians. We condemn the brutal and disproportionate acts of violence by the Israeli military intent on ethnically cleansing Gaza of Palestinians….
To our shame, we have fallen short in living out costly solidarity. We commit to working with various groups, churches, and grassroots ecumenical organizations to amplify and strengthen our solidarity with you….
We commit to continue advocating to our federal government for a permanent ceasefire and for a process that will lead to a just peace. We commit to continuing to pray for you and your people.
Fr. Tim Nelligan of Blessed Sacrament Parish and Andy Brubacher Kaethler of the Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary led this prayer:
Every day, every hour the situation in Gaza, in the West Bank and within Israel gets worse. We pray for doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers, aid workers and all who are trying to alleviate suffering are working under extreme duress. As they run towards the danger with help and acts of kindness and care may they too be comforted.
We lament every child who has been maimed, injured, or killed. Those who lost their parents, family members, everything they have ever known and. those who continue to be in harm’s way. Those who are still alive are traumatized and fearful. They face dehydration, starvation, and illness.
We pray for Israeli families with a member killed or taken hostage. We pray for Palestinian mothers and fathers in Gaza who stand in the midst of chaos, powerlessness, looking for food for their families, and a safe shelter for their children. Overwhelmed with loss—loss of life, loss of homes, loss of safety and security, they also search for hope.
We pray that those who have power to change the trajectory of violence and unfolding genocide, will hear our cry. We call for world leaders to use their leverage to stop the Israeli government’s ongoing massacre of the innocents in Gaza and return hostages to their homes. Teach them and us to resolve injustices with righteousness, not rockets. Guard hearts against retaliation and give hearts for love alone.
Carrying mini electric candles, all those gathered processed out of the church for more songs and prayers at the nearby Human Rights Monument in downtown Ottawa. The service was live-streamed and can still be viewed here.
The full text of the letters from Church leaders is available here.
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