Dozens attend Dayton shooting vigil today at Levitt Pavilion

A group gathered at Levitt Pavilion in downtown Dayton to honor those lives lost in the mass shooting. LYDIA BICE/STAFF

A group gathered at Levitt Pavilion in downtown Dayton to honor those lives lost in the mass shooting. LYDIA BICE/STAFF

An interfaith prayer vigil was held at Levitt Pavilion in downtown Dayton on Monday afternoon to honor the victims of the Oregon District shooting.

It marked the third vigil held in the city since the tragedy, but unlike the others, this one included speakers from a variety of different religious organizations across Dayton. They spoke of peace and offered prayers.

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“As a Catholic I believe it is my job to do my small part to make way for God’s love and God’s peace on this earth” said Sarah Seligmann, regional director of Catholic Social Action. “Today it is not enough to pray for the victims and for the end of gun violence, we must take action so that no one else may die in this way. This is a life issue, we must all, brothers and sisters from all communities and traditions, join together on this, and say no more.”

The service was organized by the Greater Dayton Christian Connections organization and religions that were represented by speakers at the vigil included Muslim, Catholic, Baha’i , Christian-Protestant, Buddhist, Jewish, Sikh and Unitarian Universalist.

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“There is a group of us who regularly interact with each other so it just took a few calls to organize this,” said Rev. Dr. Crystal Walker, executive director of Greater Dayton Christian Connections. “It’s extremely important for us to come together as a community right now. It doesn’t make any difference in what faith you are, it just makes a difference that we are all against evil in our community.”

The World House Choir sang hymns and the service concluded with a reading of the victims’ names along with a moment of silence. As each victim’s name was read, a speaker would place a flower in the middle of the crowd in honor of that person.

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