07/04/2024
Our diocese joins the Utica Karen Community and all of Utica in grief and pain following the death of Nyah Mway at the hands of Utica Police. The death of a child is always unthinkable, but especially in a tight-knit, refugee community whose members are already bonded through the trauma of war and displacement, we know the pain will continue to have far-reaching impacts for years to come.
We are members of a faith community united by Christ and the vows of our baptismal covenant that compel us to be continually shaped by the gospel of peace of our Lord Jesus, a gospel we’re committed to sharing and making tangible in our communities each day. But we see and experience that gun violence runs counter to our baptismal covenant and dehumanizes and strips the dignity from our family members, our friends, and our children each day. Even more destabilizing and dehumanizing is the fact that the death of Nyah Mway came at the hands of those who are sworn to maintain safety in and protect our communities, including in this instance a community of people who have come to our country to escape state violence. We weep with the family of Nyah Mway, the Utica Karen Community, the people of Grace Church Utica, New York, those who have dedicated themselves as police officers seeking to protect and serve, and all of Utica. We reaffirm our commitment to acting for justice, dignity, safety and peace as part of our shared vision of a world healed by love.
Join with us in this prayer, adapted from a prayer written by Bishop Deon Johnson of Episcopal Diocese of Missouri for Episcopalians United Against Gun Violence:
God of Hope, we hold before you all those who have lost their lives to gun violence, especially Nyah Mway. May light perpetual shine upon him. May we, by holding his stories and memories, help to shape a new story of hope from the brokenness of loss.
God of Healing, we hold before you the families of the departed and the neighbors and community members who are heartbroken and shattered in the wake of the recent shooting, especially the parents and children of the Utica Karen Community. May they live and rest in safety and peace in you. May we walk with them and may their tears be turned into songs of joy.
God of Peace, we hold before you all who live with the horror of gun violence in their communities or in their work as first responders. May we, with them, be part of creating a world where all are protected, all are honored and all are seen, valued and beloved. A world where we listen and connect with each other in joy and in pain and respond with understanding and compassion, never violence.
God of Restoration, we pray also for the officers involved in this shooting and all perpetrators of gun violence. We pray for their families, their friends, and those who love them. We pray for those who see no other way than violence. We pray for those who suffer from mental illness, social isolation, loneliness, debilitating fear, and substance use disorders. Grant that we, in the name of your son, may reach out in love and transform ferocity into friendship and fear into faith.
In the name of Jesus Christ, the Author of Peace, and in the power of your life-giving Spirit. AMEN.