December 14, 2012, was a very tragic day in America and affected everyone around the country in a different way. The elementary shooting that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown CT stole the lives of twenty-six innocent people, twenty of whom were children. Despite being days away from winter break and in the midst of final exams, Saint Anselm College quickly responded to this event by coming up with the idea to host a vigil for the lives lost when students arrived back on campus.
This vigil was coordinated through campus ministry and was to be held on January 14, 2013, one month after the shooting in order for students could attend. When students arrived back on campus that first week, members of the college community was active and vocal about the Sandy Hook shooting and helping the lives of those families who lost someone. Green ribbons were given to the students to wear around campus to show support, and there were four hundred angels made by Anselmians with a nice prayer on each one for donation to the Sandy Hook Foundation along with a check for one hundred dollars to give to the foundation as well.
The vigil was held one month after the shooting and roughly one hundred Anselmians gathered in the cold with friends to show their support for the poor families. Katie Gargano, a freshman from Connecticut, stated “it was cold and the wind kept blowing our candles out, but we weren’t going to let the weather stop us. Everyone felt that this was something we had to do to honor those who lost their lives and seeing so many Anselmians gathered to show their support was truly moving, especially for those of us from Connecticut.”
The vigil lasted about twenty minutes, but during those twenty minutes one could feel the somber stillness in the air. During the vigil there was a reading of the names of the twenty-six victims who lost their lives, a song sung by all who attend and led by senior Nate Chartier, a prayer led by Father Anselm, and a short discussion about how we as Anselmians can move forward.
The promotion of 26 Acts of Kindness, a movement that was originally launched on Twitter, has been brought to campus. During these 26 Acts of Kindness, students do good deeds for each other, such as holding the door for someone, complimenting a fellow student, offering help, etc. The candle light vigil was a great way to bring Anselmians together in a time of need and, as stated at the vigil, “as Anselmians, it is important for us to come together to recognize the lives of those lost, but more importantly to move forward to go and love all!”