
CV NEWS FEED // The Archdiocese of Baltimore this week held a prayer vigil honoring the victims of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse and in support of their families, according to a local Catholic publication.
On March 26, the 1.5 mile-long Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed after a cargo boat lost power and hit one of the bridge’s support beams. Several of the six construction workers who died when the bridge collapsed were parishioners in the Archdiocese.
Hundreds of people attended the vigil, which took place outside of Sacred Heart of Jesus-Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Catholic Parish on April 8.
“We’ve seen, since the tragedy occurred, the family of faith really coming together in a beautiful way,” Archbishop William Lori told the local publication Catholic Review.
He said that the parish, Catholic Charities, the Knights of Columbus, and the maritime ministry Apostleship of the Sea have been offering the families not only material assistance, but also spiritual assistance.
“It’s the accompaniment because these wives and moms and children have lost their husbands and fathers in the most tragic way, and we just have to surround them with love,” Archbishop Lori said.
Since the tragedy, the Archdiocese has continued to support those impacted. On March 28, Archbishop Lori appealed to the Archdiocese for donations to emergency relief funds for those affected, and almost $50,000 was raised in 24 hours.
Additionally, the central office of the Knights of Columbus authorized a contribution of $100,000 for the family fund of the victims, in their tradition of protecting widows and orphans.
Lora Hargrove, the interfaith outreach director for Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, attended the prayer vigil and read aloud the names of the workers who lost their lives in the tragedy: Miguel Luna, Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, Dorlian Castillo Cabrera, Jose Mynor Lopez, Carlos Hernandez, and Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes.
“This is a tremendous loss for the families of their six loved ones,” Hargrove said. “We will not forget the impact of their lives on their own families within the Hispanic community, on the Baltimore community at large, and on the state of Maryland.”
“They were not just hard workers; they were devoted husbands, loving fathers, caring brothers, and supportive uncles. We have come tonight to thank God for their lives, their love and their legacies that will remain forever in our hearts,” she said.
Delmy Ramos, a local parishioner who attended the April 8 prayer service, told the Catholic Review, “We Hispanics are accompanying the grieving families and praying for them, too, because they died fixing the bridge so that we could pass safely. May God receive them with his open arms.”
Those present at the vigil observed six minutes of silence in honor of the victims. They also walked down the streets around the church with candles, singing hymns in English and Spanish. The procession stopped six times in memory of each of the victims.
In the procession, several people carried a large platform with six crosses that were covered with safety vests in honor of the victims. The crosses also had the names of the men, and a flag with their country of origin, including Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Flags of the United States and the Holy See were also flown at the procession.
Archbishop Lori said to those present at the prayer service that the tragedy had a twofold effect. The first effect, he explained, is that such a tragedy shocks the whole community, and makes it difficult to process.
“But once that begins to settle, often another effect rises up,” the Archbishop continued:
We band together. Tragedy can shake us out of our ways. We’re used to seeing things or doing things. It can make you and me shift our gaze, helping us to pay attention to the things that really matter, prompting us to let go of the little things that often consume our lives, moving our hearts to see the needs of those who are suffering in our very midst.
He concluded, “God is here with us. God has made a dwelling among us even in our deepest darkness. God is there to be with us, so we fear no evil because he is with us. And not only is He with us, He truly knows us. He loves us.”
