Dear Friends,

Gunshots are fired in the midst of us, lives are shattered, and we grieve. The community of Charlestown is mourning the death of Ryan Morrissey, a seventeen year old resident who was shot last Wednesday on Main Street along with another teen, who is now recovering. We know that violence permeates so much of the world, but when that violence occurs on the very streets where we live, it can cause us to react with disbelief. This is not the first violent death of a young person in Charlestown; there have been several over the last few years. We pray it will be the last. As a parish, we can pray, and we can join with other groups and individuals who are responding, seeking ways to make the community in which many of live safe for all persons in every part of Charlestown.

A variety of organizations in town, including the Charlestown Mothers Association, St. Mary’s Church, The Charlestown Neighborhood Council, The Townie Association and the Chamber of Commerce are encouraging persons to attend the next Public Safety Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, November 18 at 6:30 pm at the Charlestown Police Station. St. John’s will be joining these organizations in sending a letter to elected officials stating the community’s readiness to work with the city government to create a safer community.

As Christians, we have a particular vocation to address the violence of our world. We acknowledge as Lord one whose life was ended by violence, and yet one whose way of being in the world was to respond courageously and nonviolently to all those persons and pressures that sought to diminish or destroy human life. It is no easy vocation to which we are called when we follow Christ in this way. But it is our vocation, and our gift to share with the world.

Faithfully,

Tom