Main Line Church To Honor Parkland Shooting Victims Wednesday

Wednesday, March 14 is the one-month anniversary of the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida that left 17 people dead and a Main Line church is planning to mark the anniversary with bell tolls, a special noon service, and an open house for anyone wishing to pray.

To commemorate the event that shocked the nation, Christ Church Ithan in Villanova is planning to toll its church bell 17 times.

The bell will toll at 10 a.m., 10:05 a.m., 10:10 a.m, and 10:17 and, to cover the period of the planned school walkouts protesting gun violence, which will last 17 minutes in honor of the victims.

The church will also will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the public to come and pray.

A Service of Holy Eucharist will be celebrated at noon.

"I believe there is power in our prayer and prayer is itself a witness," Fr. John Sosnowski, the Priest-in-Charge of Christ Church, Ithan said. "Prayer opens us to God and what God wants of us in our lives. And it is prayer that can spur us on to action."

Prayers will be offered throughout the day at various intervals for our country and our world. Christ Church, Ithan has invited area churches to join in tolling their bells and promoting this day of prayer.

The community is welcome to participate in this time of prayer and witness on March 14.

"The Episcopal Bishops at their House of Bishop’s meeting last week called on its member churches to mark this one-month anniversary in prayer and lament and encouraged them to participate in the ‘March For Our Lives’ in Washington, D.C. or some major city to support our young people’s call to end gun violence and choose life," Sosnowski said. "Our prayer this day is for the courage to live into God’s dream for us – God’s call to a world of justice, love and peace for all."

Christ Church Ithan is located at 536 Conestoga Road in Villanova.

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