Among the many responses on the North Side to the tragic acts of terrorism last week was a Mass for Peace held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11, in Queen of Angels Church, 2330 W. Sunnyside Ave. Less than 12 hours after the initial attack, the church was filled with people, many families with all the children, an ethnically diverse group representative of the larger community. “It’s important to bring people together in a difficult situation when they feel their faith is tried,” said Father Tom Lamping. “They need to share feelings. It’s not a good time to be alone.” Lamping celebrated the Mass along with pastor Father Bill O’Brien and Deacon Dick Hankett.
Among the scripture readings were a passage from the Book of Lamentations and one from the letters of Paul, and among the songs were “America the Beautiful,” “God Bless America,” and “O God, Our Help in Ages Past.” “This is a service to be together to show unity, and not a rally to arms,” said Linda Mueller, who attended. “We ask God for wisdom and pray for the people who died...We pray that wisdom and justice will prevail.” Fellow parishioner Karen Fiedler added that she was surprised to see so many people in church since they were only contacted by word of mouth.
According to Father O’Brien, “There is a need for people to be together on a human level, and also a need to be together to try to see, as best we can, through the eyes of God what has happened and where our actions and hearts should be. People of faith do that, come together to be in the presence of the Lord.” He expressed the hope that, during the gradual recovery, our country will remain calm and will plan well “so that what we do is done justly and fairly.”
“I think our nation is a victim, and any one person or group that is a victim moves through various stages. Helplessness overshadows all the stages. We begin with disbelief, and move to shock. Then victims say, ‘Where do we place our blame?’ Then there is anger, then action.”
Advising parents to be honest with children, he said, “Tell them evil happens. Life is not always predictable and fair. But we do not want to live in fear. They have parents, friends and family to love and protect them...Even though whoever did this must be held accountable, we will not become the evil that has visited us.”
Father Lamping expressed that, in response to the terrorism, “We should not pray that God will be on our side, but rather pray that we will be on God’s side.”
After the Mass on that tragic Tuesday, parishioner Kristy Condon asked Father Lamping about the apparently inconsistent use of purple vestments, which represent sorrow, and the use of “Alleluia,” which represents joy. “Even in sorrow we have hope,” he explained.
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