We’ve been talking about bringing the Souls Shot Portrait Project, an art exhibit dedicated to those who have lost their lives to gun violence, to St Peter’s for a while now. Today the portraits were installed in our worship space and will remain with us through January.
Among them are an artist, an athlete, a coach, a cook, and a boxer. There are several fathers, a few daughters and a set of siblings. Nearly all died of gun-related causes – violent attacks, accidents, suicide. One is a self-portrait of a woman who survived.
The portraits, which now hang throughout the worship space, were created by local artists. Beside each one is a description of the subject written by a family member. Many contain notes by the artists, who spent time with families to learn about the loved one they were portraying.
I wanted St. Peter’s to host this exhibit in our worship space to hold up the sacredness of these faces and their stories. Often, reports of such deaths amount to just a few details in the paper, a name, perhaps an age. There are rarely photos. Some are never reported at all, especially those who have died by suicide. And while we often hear the statistics around this preventable epidemic – 375 Philadelphians died of gun-related violence in 2023, according to the Stoneleigh Foundation, their names and families are rarely remembered for very long by those who do not know them.
Throughout the month there will be several opportunities to spend time with these individuals and their stories. To pray for them and their families. To consider the impact that gun violence has on our community, our region, our country. To consider how we are called to respond.
This Sunday our forum time will be dedicated to touring the exhibit and discussing what we’ve experienced.
This Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 7 p.m. in the church, St. Peter’s will host a public event where participants will hear from Laura Madeleine, founder, executive director and curator of the program. Members of a family of one of the portrait subjects will also speak. There will be time to view the portraits and talk to representatives from organizers dedicated to preventing gun violence.
On Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. St. Peter’s will host a Taizé service of chant, silence and prayer to end gun violence.
Other days, the exhibit will be open to the public Monday through Friday, during our regular 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. office hours, and Saturdays and Sundays 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Groups are welcome to tour the exhibit at other times by making an appointment with the office.
The issue of gun violence and the work to curb it is not new. Madeleine, an artist, first created the program for Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia in 2016. The traveling exhibit has since spread to include all of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, regularly adding new portraits. The showing at St Peter’s is the eighth and most recent exhibit.
St. Peter’s has also hosted the Memorial to the Lost, a T-shirt exhibit sponsored by Heeding God’s Call to End Gun violence. We have hosted prayer vigils on the issue. Mary Rivera sits on the diocesan task force to end gun violence. We are a small voice in a large cry to reduce the prevalence of guns in our communities and to reduce the deaths they cause.
And efforts to push police departments and city councils to work harder to reduce gun-related crime has paid off. The homicide rate in Philadelphia dropped to the lowest level its known in a decade this year, according to an NBC News 20 report.
At the same time, because of the prevalence of guns in our highly populated state – Pennsylvania ranked fourth highest in the country for guns sold in 2023 (841,523) according to Phillyburbs.com – the threat of gun violence is always high. In these contentious times, it’s essential we keep the effort to reduce gun violence before us.
As people of faith, we bring particular gifts to this work. We can keep the stories of those who are impacted before us. We can place their sacred stories in our sacred spaces, inviting others to listen and to learn. We can employ the comforting and convicting power of prayer, of gathering, and of faith-filled action.
This month, as a resolution to infuse our communities with peace and nonviolence, take some time to learn more about Souls Shot (you can visit their website here.) Participate in our events this January to promote peace and end violence. And consider how we as a community can continue to respond in the new year.
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