A special mass was held on Monday night at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church to honor the victims of the Orlando shooting.
About 150 people attended the event, which was open to the public.
Coming just one day after the tragic shooting in Orlando, the mass was opportunity for people to show unity, hope and love.
Jacqueline Lightcap, who traveled from Topeka to attend the mass, wore a special shirt reading "Love Heals" on Monday night. She said it was a fitting message following the gruesome violence.
"A lot of people got hurt. It's very sad this happened but we don't know what else to do," explained Lightcap, a mother who brought her children to the Mass. "This seemed important to bring our kids and to show that this matters to us."
For others who attended, the emotions tied to the shooting were still tough to bear.
"I've been crying a lot," said Bob Skaggs, a member of the St. Michael's parish. "We need to get together as a community and get healed."
During the Mass, the names of all 49 victims were read aloud. Songs of healing, hope and love were sung by all.
Bishop Dean Wolfe was one of the planners who helped organize the mass.
"You watch this on television, for people of faith, you need a way to process those feelings," he said.
Wolfe explained that the special mass was organized on short notice.
"We said, 'It feels like maybe we should do something,'" said Wolfe. "We talked to a couple of people and asked if this was something that would be helpful for them. The answer was 'Yes, we should definitely do something.'"
Above all else, Wolfe wanted to bring people together in the face of tragedy.
"We hope that by having faith-based events, we'll be reminded that the things that connect us are much stronger than the things that divide us," he explained.
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Tom Dempsey can be reached at Tom.Dempsey@KSHB.com.
