Candlelight vigil unites the USD campus community

Students and faculty stand in solidarity after a terror attack on a New Zealand mosque 

Glenn McDonell / Asst. News Editor / The USD Vista

On Friday March 15, New Zealand endured the most horrific mass shooting in the nation’s history when an Australian white nationalist opened fire at two separate mosques in the city of Christchurch, leaving 50 of the people dead and another 50 seriously injured. Following the news of this overseas act of terror perpetrated against these Muslim congregations, a group of USD community members came together last Wednesday, March 20, in Plaza Mayor to honor those who lost their lives and to express solidarity with the Muslim community.

This candlelight vigil, which drew more than 50 students, faculty, and staff, was organized by the Muslim Student Association (MSA) and promoted by the school administration. 

Last Monday, President Harris sent out a statement condemning the act of terror and inviting all community members to participate in the prayer vigil scheduled for later that week.  

Senior Stephanie Hidalgo, who is involved with University Ministry (UM), learned of the vigil after she saw a post on a UM social media page encouraging students to attend. Hidalgo then made plans to stop by the Plaza Mayor after her class on Wednesday evening. 

“I came straight to the SLP, where everyone was holding candles during a moment of silence,” Hidalgo said. “I remember having that unique feeling of entering a sacred space.”  

The vigil was run by members of MSA and attended by students from several other religiously-affiliated student organizations such as University Ministry and USD Hillel, an organization of USD students who identify as Jewish. 

It began with some remarks from student leaders in MSA, who read the names of the victims of the massacre, followed by an “open-mic” portion during which those in attendance were given the chance to reflect publicly. 

For Hidalgo, one of the more notable moments of the vigil was when a member of MSA read the story of a disabled man whose wife had lost her life when re-entering the mosque to save him.

“When they were telling his story, they said that this man forgave the shooter and called him a brother,” Hidalgo said. “I was blown away by that.  I don’t even know if I could come that far, to that level of forgiveness.” 

Following the reading of the names, members of MSA then recited a prayer in Arabic, which was described as a custom for Muslim people who are in mourning. Hidalgo says she appreciated the opportunity to hear prayers from a different faith practice.  

“I personally didn’t know a lot about Islam, so it was really cool to learn about this prayer and hear it recited in Arabic,” Hidalgo said. “Seeing how different people from different backgrounds deal with loss in their culture, whether it was a prayer or a song or a poem, was a really unique experience for me.” 

While Hidalgo is saddened by the circumstances which lead to the vigil, she also recognizes that these sorts of moments of tragedy have the potential to bring people together and create special moments of unity.  

“The fact that these sorts of shootings continue to happen breaks my heart,” Hidalgo said. “This vigil showed me that it’s possible for something beautiful to come out of it. Seeing students from different groups, who I had never seen in the same place come together was something truly beautiful. It reminded me that the only way to stop these acts of hate is to overwhelm them with love.” 

Sophomore Joshua Glasser is the President of USD’s Jewish Student Union (JSU) and also a member of Hillel, a student organization which celebrates Jewish cultural life and religious practice. He was invited to come to the vigil by several friends who are in leadership for both JSU and Hillel and had made arrangements with MSA student leaders for a prayer from the Jewish faith to be included as part of the event.  

“After we heard the awful news of the bloodshed in New Zealand, we were really upset so we wanted to make sure to express our support to the Muslim students at USD,” Glasser said. “Regardless of which religion or what background you come from, it’s important to show respect for one another.” 

Following the listing of the names and the Islamic prayer of mourning, Glasser and several other members of Hillel came up to the microphone to share about Jewish custom in the wake of tragedy and to recite a Hebrew prayer of mourning from their own faith.  

“Whenever someone loses a loved one, we recite what is called the mourner’s Kaddish three times a day for a whole year as a way to send condolences for that person’s death and to recognize their life,” Glasser said. “It’s actually about glorifying God, and thanking God for that person having been in this world. It’s a really important part of our religion.”

The presentation of prayers from both the Islamic and the Jewish faiths turned out to be a highlight for some of those who were in attendance at the vigil. 

Glasser said he valued the opportunity to be a part of this ceremony and sees this sort of interfaith support as part of the mission of Hillel.  

“After the event, people came up to us and expressed their appreciation for our sharing of the Kaddish,” Glasser said. “We were really grateful to go up and actually say our prayer and express our support for everyone. That’s just who we are and what we do and what we will continue to do. We try to be there for all communities.” 

Marc Adams works as a University Minister on campus, coordinating programs such as the Search Retreat and the East L.A. Immersion experience. Adams, who promoted the vigil within the UM community, was originally informed of the event by the president of MSA.  

“I’m grateful to MSA for organizing this event, and I hope they know how valued they are as members of this campus community,” Adams said. “I was heartened to see students and staff from across campus come together in solidarity.” 

Adams also emphasized the value of this sort of community gathering as a way to process tragedies of this scale and called upon the community to strive toward promoting greater tolerance and peace.  

“It’s really important to be in solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters at all times, but especially in a time of pain and hurt when they might feel targeted and excluded,” Adams said. “This was a call across faith traditions. We need to find more ways to resist this sort of culture of exclusion and violence in the future.” 

The USD Vista reached out to the students of MSA but was declined an interview.

The act of terror perpetrated against the Muslim community of New Zealand earlier this month has brought gun control, white supremacy, and islamophobia to the public’s attention, further intensifying the debate surrounding a solution for these issues. 

The interfaith solidarity and cross-cultural support displayed at last week’s vigil served as a reminder that the aspects of our identities which make us different do not have to divide us.