![Wooden angel figures in a wooded area beside a road near the Sandy Hook Elementary School representing the victims of the school shooting in Newtown, CT. REUTERS/MIKE SEGAR PHOTO COURTESY ENS Wooden angel figures in Newtown, CT](https://dioceseofnewark.org/sites/default/files/styles/node_hero_image/public/images/ens_121712_sandyhook_0.jpg?itok=wOFyqBaw)
As we approach the one year anniversary on December 14 of the violent tragedy in Newtown, CT, let us renew our commitment to pray and take action to overcome a culture of violence.
God, today we are still sifting through the shards of our broken certainties. Gone is the predictable future we thought we knew for ourselves and our children. The world seems more dangerous and unstable than before. May we find amidst this uncertainty those deep convictions and lasting values that are unshakeable, despite the turmoil of the day. And may these constants in our lives remind us of your constancy and your unchanging strength.
From the Prayers of the People by Rev. Dr. Casey G. Baggott, Community Church of Vero Beach, FL
The diocesan Justice Board offers as a resource a liturgy for a candlelight vigil, Pray for Peace and Unity, which can be adapted for your use on this occasion.
Churches holding a service or witness
Friday, December 13
(with the Clifton Protestant Church Association, Organized for Action and the Islamic Center of Passaic County)
Saturday, December 14