Dear Friends,
From 7-8 AM this morning, amidst a beautiful sunrise, twelve peacemakers
held a nonviolent witness at the Pentagon to commemorate the Feast of
the Massacre of the Holy Innocents. The witness was organized by the
Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, and those participating
included members of the Little Flower Catholic Worker, the Southern
Life Community, Franciscan Action Network, and Pax Christi Metro
DC-Baltimore. Because the actual Feast of the Holy Innocents falls on
Saturday, Dec. 28, the witness was held today so we could
be present to as many Pentagon workers as possible who do not work on
weekends.
When we arrived, the Pentagon police were expecting us and had already
closed the main southeast entrance to the Pentagon. They were rerouting
workers to enter the building by the Pedestrian bridge entrance. Thus,
many workers, who we don't ordinarily see at
the weekly Monday morning DDCW peace vigil, walked by us in the
designated fenced off protest area. Based on this police action, we can
reasonably conclude that this main Pentagon entrance was closed due to
our presence.
Holding and displaying signs and banners, the
witness began with an Introduction that I gave followed by a
prayer service. Rev. Peter Pearson read the Gospel account of the
massacre of the innocents (Mt. 2: 13-18) which was
followed by the Coventry Carol song. Bill Frankel-Streit and Beth
Brockman then read an excerpt of a deeply moving sermon by Rev. Munther
Isaac:
"Christ is Still in the Rubble" that was given on Dec. 20 during a
Liturgy of Sumud at the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in
Bethlehem where Munther is pastor. The song "Cry of Ramah"
was then sung. A poem by Sr. Anne Montgomery,
Feast of the Innocents: 1991-In Memoriam: Mass Graves, was offered. A
Litany for the Feast of the Holy Innocents was then read, followed by
a Redeem the Times Declaration.
We then gathered in a circle as Bill shared his initial intention to
risk arrest at the main entrance but, due to that entrance already being
closed, wanted to engage in group discernment about whether a possible
alternative action should be undertaken. We
collectively decided to leave the designated protest area, form a line
across the sidewalk and recite the Lord's Prayer. (In the past, going
outside the designated protest area and holding signs would usually
result in a police warning to return to the designated
area or face arrest). However, once we did this, the police closed off
the entire sidewalk and rerouted workers along a different walkway to
enter the building. The witness concluded with
the song,
Vine and Fig Tree.
Another prayer of intercession was offered this morning at the Pentagon!
God have mercy on U.S.! In these perilous times we need now, more than
ever, to live and proclaim the Gospel of Nonviolence and resist the
ongoing massacre of the Holy Innocents today.
In the hope of Christ's peace,
Art Laffin
Dorothy Day Catholic Worker
Washington DC
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