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June 12-18, 2020 Facebook @FloridaCatholic
YOUR OR NDO COMMUNITY
in 2020, we're here?" asked Pastor Johnson of Orlando World Out- reach Center, who spearheaded the walk. Quoting from Ecclesiastes 3:4, the Protestant pastor said, "There's a time to weep. There's a time to mourn. There's a time to heal. The tragedies we are dealing with in our nation, can't be healed by us, because they've been caused by us-. You have to take it back to the manufacturer. The One who made us and loves us. We have not loved each other like we should- Today, we're going to love each other be- cause we're human beings created in the image of an amazing God." As the crowd moved forward qui- etly, so did Father David Scotchie, pastor of Nativity Parish in Long- wood, alongside his father, Larry. Father Scotchie said he came, "to pray for peace and unity. Thoughts and prayers are not enough and si- lence is compliance, in a way," Fa- ther Scotchie said. "So, by coming together in a public way to mourn those who have died, we can make a difference. And we're doing it as people of prayer, trusting in God to change hearts and helping us to follow Christ." His father, Larry Scotchie, has been a longtime ad- vocate for life. "I was looking for an opportunity to participate in this to show support for all persons who have been abused like this," he said. From conception to natural death, we have to respect life. This is where it starts." Not far from him was Father Leo Hodges, pastor of St. Andrew Parish in downtown Orlando. He grew up as a military child. Unfortunately, my first ex- perience of racism was on the playground of my Catholic grade school," he recalled. "I lived on an Air Force base before that, in Oki- nawa, and on base no one seemed to care what you looked like or what language your spoke, or the color of your skin." His experience spoke to the heart of the lamentation portion of the event, where several Christian leaders asked for forgiveness, on be- half of a church often divided and whose life may not always reflect the image of God. (As an African American), I felt connected - that I was help- ing the conversation for peace and reconciliation continue," Father Hodges continued. "I felt a great sadness over the reckless loss of life and the ongoing racism." he said. As a priest, he hopes the message conveyed by the event is, "That it is possible to all get along. Catholic does mean universal. - Many like- minded folks gathered to move an agenda forward to build the King- dom of God here in Orlando." Missionary of Mercy, Father Anthony Aarons could not attend, but was thankful the event was
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focused on mourning and restora- tion. "In the Beatitudes, Jesus says: Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.' Not only are we mourning the loss of George Floyd's life, but the total loss of re- spect for the dignity of every human life," he said. "The words of Lamen- tations 3:17 express that loss very well: 'My life is deprived of peace, I have forgotten what happiness is; my enduring hope, I said has per- ished before the Lord'. As a Nation, we grieve, but we recall those words of Jesus and they bring us hope. The Lord's acts of mercy are, renewed each morning (Lam 3:23), so we mourn, and we will be comforted, restored." The walk ended aptly on a stage just off Division Avenue, a long held demarcation for the separation of ethnic neighborhoods. Pastor John- son said they chose that spot, "To say that barriers must be broken." Speakers from the Chris- tian community addressed the mourners, as did elected offi- cials Mayor Buddy Dyer, Orange County Sheriff John Mina, Com- missioner Regina Hill and Or- lando Police Chief Orlando Roln who is also a parishioner at St. James Cathedral. "We need to pray, for our nation to heal during this painful and uncertain time in our lives," Roln told the Flori- da Catholic . "We need to pray, for the lives lost, and their loved ones reeling with their loss. We need to pray, for peace and unity, that we will rise from these challenges to- gether a safer and stronger com- munity." The Catholic civil servant spoke from the heart, without a script, asking those gathered to kneel. He asked for prayers over the leader- ship of the law enforcement pro- fession and, "For anyone who has ever been at the hands of a situation where an injustice has occurred- we are here to serve you. We are here committed to take a knee for any cause that will end police bru- tality - anything that will harm a human being-" he said. His words harkened those of the conference of Catholic bishops in their letter, Open Wide Our Hearts. As followers of Christ, we seek to reclaim the God-given sanctity of each person's inviolable human dignity."
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Hundreds of people dressed in black mourn the death of George Floyd and the hundreds of others who die due to racism. (MAURICE BEAULIEU FC) Orlando Police Chief Orlando Roln, seated on stage second from right with a microphones, asks everyone attending A Walk for Restoration and Healing to kneel. He led the crowd in prayer for those whose job it is to protect the community, for forgiveness of abuses, and for change that honors the human dignity of everyone. (GLENDA MEEKINS FC)
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