The Worcester County Veterans Memorial Foundation and Sen. Mary Beth Carozza (R-38) hosted a nonpartisan, non-political, interfaith “Prayer Service for Our Country” this week to foster unity following the attempted assignation attempt of former United States President Donald Trump.
Attendees of a prayer service held July 15 to bring the community together in the wake of an assassination attempt against former Pres. Donald Trump last weekend in Pennsylvania join hands and pray together in unity.
Tara Fischer / Bayside Gazette
By Tara Fischer, Staff Writer
The Worcester County Veterans Memorial Foundation and Sen. Mary Beth Carozza (R-38) hosted an interfaith “Prayer Service for Our Country” on Monday, July 15, to foster unity following the attempted assignation attempt of former United States President Donald Trump.
On Saturday, July 13, Trump was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a 20-year-old male opened fire. The former president narrowly missed the bullet. One spectator was killed, while two others were critically injured.
The Monday night event occurred at the Worcester County Veterans Memorial in Ocean Pines. Carozza said that she received a text message from OPA resident Marcy Prezioso proposing a prayer service, and the gathering was efficiently planned in collaboration with the memorial’s foundation.
“I thought it was an outstanding idea and a perfect event to unify at the local level as Americans,” she said.
President of the memorial, Marie Gilmore, underscored the necessity of the service.
“As the horrifying events of Saturday night were unfolding, I could not help but despair over how our country had changed,” she said. “In big cities and small towns, violence is replacing civilians. This country needs to return to the Judeo-Christian values it was formed.”
“It is time to tamp down the rhetoric and find a way to resolve our differences peacefully,” she continued. “It is a time for prayer. It is by the grace of God that a past president, a past commander in chief, is alive today … prayer is powerful.”
Leaders from various religious centers in the area were in attendance. Rev. Dale Brown of Community Church at Ocean Pines prompted attendees to join hands as he led the crowd in prayer.
“Help us to see each other not as enemies but as brothers and sisters and friends,” he said. “Help us be willing to make the first move to step across the line to say, ‘I want to get to know you better. How can we work together?’ Help us as a nation care for those most vulnerable… Help us to love in a way that…welcomes everyone, particularly the stranger. Help us always to love our enemies. In doing so, we show the best of who we are.”
Pastor Peggy Briggs from St. Paul’s United Methodist Church and Father Lance Martin from St. Mary Star of the Sea Holy Savior Catholic Church were also present, where they preached unity and looked past the political differences of our neighbors. The Delmarva Chorus sang God Bless America to round out the event.
Carozza said that in preparation for the Monday night service, she recalled the book Patriotic Grace by Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan. The senator said the book is integral in reaffirming that Americans must face everyday challenges together.
“The book asks key questions like, ‘Can we continue as a sovereign nation as peace with itself?’” Carozza said. “After 9/11, we came together as a country and united as Americans. As time passed, we have lost that depth of unity. Still, Saturday’s attempted assassination attempt of a former president and the killing of an innocent bystander … is an opportunity to approach our political discourse in a new way.”