More than 900 students and members of the Boston College community gathered at St. Ignatius Church on Tuesday night for a prayer vigil to honor those who lost their lives in the Virginia Tech shooting. The memorial was held in conjunction with simultaneous vigils at Atlantic Coast Conference colleges at 7:00 p.m. on April 17.
The event was organized by students and sponsored by the Undergraduate Government of Boston College and Campus Ministry. The program included prayers led by Don MacMillan, S.J., performances by the Liturgy Arts Group and liturgical musician JoJo David, and a candle-lighting ceremony that took place as students read the available names of 22 of the 33 shooting victims. Three students also spoke.
“The vigil revealed the heart and soul of our students,” says MacMillan. “Our students feel things very deeply.”
The University also sponsored an ecumenical prayer service on April 17 at 12:15 p.m. in the Heights Room in Corcoran Commons and offered Mass in memory of the victims at 5:00 p.m. in St. Mary’s Chapel.
“This tragedy really touched a chord in our students, and you could see they felt a real connection to the students at Virginia Tech,” says James Erps, S.J., director of Campus Ministry.