Detroit — After the worst mass shooting in U.S. history claimed the lives of 50 people and wounded 53 others in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, Detroiters joined with people of faith across the country the next day in offering their prayers for the victims and their families.

During an interfaith prayer service at St. Aloysius Church in downtown Detroit, Msgr. Timothy Hogan urged prayers for physical and spiritual healing for all those affected by the tragedy.

“We gather together today because our nation, and we the people of this nation, have been attacked. We have been hurt. We have been scorned in so many ways,” Msgr. Hogan said. “But we come together today as a people of light, and we come to conquer that darkness by the light of Christ that is given to us.”



Msgr. Hogan said Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron, who was in California that day for a meeting of U.S. bishops, sent his prayers and urged Detroiters to help in any way they can.

 

In a Facebook posting, Archbishop Vigneron joined with Pope Francis and other Catholic leaders in decrying the hatred and violence.

“I invite the priests and people of the Detroit archdiocese, and all people of good will, to keep these intentions in their worship and personal prayer life — for the victims, their families, and for all those affected — and for an end to the hatred that provokes such horrific events, such violence, in our country and around the world,” the archbishop wrote.

Early June 12, a gunman identified as 29-year-old Omar Mir Seddique Mateen opened fire inside a gay nightclub in downtown Orlando, killing dozens before dying in a firefight with SWAT team officers. Authorities said Mateen had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist group.

Msgr. Hogan, director of clergy and consecrated life for the Archdiocese of Detroit, said despite the darkness of the tragedy, Christians should never lose hope that God can conquer even the worst sins.

“There is light in the midst of darkness because Jesus Christ is our light,” Msgr. Hogan said. “It is for these reasons that we come, we gather together, we pray, we support those who are in need, who are struggling, and then we go out and we become the light in this world.”

Eide Alawan, a Muslim who attends the Islamic Center of America mosque in Dearborn, was among those who gathered at St. Aloysius to pray for those lost.

“As a Muslim, this is the second Sept. 11 for me, as far as I’m concerned,” Alawan said. “It’s a disaster. I came here to respect the families of the 50 people as well as those who are wounded.”

Michelle St. Pierre, public relations specialist for the Detroit chapter of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, said St. Vincent de Paul agencies in Orlando have been inundated with support from across the country, including Detroit.

“They’re struggling. It’s hard when it’s in your hometown and to have something so tragic happen, and yet they felt comforted by something bigger. We’re all Orlando,” said St. Pierre, who also attended the service at St. Aloysius. “The fact that people across the country, as in Detroit with this prayer service, that we thought of them, they were very touched and very grateful.”

As a city that’s not unfamiliar with violence, St. Pierre said Detroit’s prayers can be a powerful part of the healing so badly needed after the Orlando tragedy.