0£6£-66SZ2
0 *
0£6£ so
'11M ^d^HO
Aavasn nosiim (£SC2<7)
Catholic
News & Herald Volume 4 Number 33
Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte
Graham Urges Oklahomans:
April 28, 1995
The Healing Begin
'Let
OKLAHOMA CITY (CNS) —The sun symbolically broke through the clouds
policeman reaching through rubble to grasp the hand of a victim. The volunteer
as approximately 20,000 people gath-
stretcher-bearers
ered April 23 at the state fairgrounds in
white,
Oklahoma City
remember and pray bombing of
to
for victims of the April 19
Murrah federal building. "The Bible says 'He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds,'" said the Rev. Billy Graham. "With this
the
service today
we
stand to say,
let
the
healing begin."
National and state officials and
reli-
gious leaders joined in the afternoon prayer service also attended by President
Clinton and Clinton;
first
lady Hillary
bishop Eusebius J. Beltran. Rescue workers at the bomb site paused momentarily at 3 p.m., as did others throughout the city and nation, to unite in prayer
national day of
— and compassion — rushing
on what was declared a mourning by President
Clinton.
The service opened with a choir of thousands singing a moving rendition of "Amazing Graze." Even reporters in the press section sang and dried their tears.
some black, some some brown, all linked in courage aid to the
wounded." Looking at the fairgrounds' arena floor, where family members sat holding photos and mementos of those lost or dead, Keating said, "Through all this through the tears, the righteous anger, the soul-rending sorrow of immeasurwe have sometimes felt able loss alone. But we are never truly alone. We have God and we have each other."
—
—
Rodham
Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating
and his wife, Cathy; Texas Gov. George Bush and his wife; Attorney General Janet Reno; and Oklahoma City Arch-
The victim count stood jured, 150 missing
dead, including
1
at
400
in-
and 78 confirmed
3 children.
Some of the
dead had not yet been identified. Keating praised "the saints in gray and blue and white and khaki the rescuers and the healers. They have labored long and nobly," he said. "And they have cried with us." "The thousands of us gathered here today are multiplied by God's love, anointed by his gentle mercy," he said. "Today we are one with him, and with one another."
—
the
As they did before the service began, crowd gave a standing ovation to the
Following the hymn, Gov. Keating, is Catholic, reminded the grieving audience, "The tragedy of April 19 shocked America. It's unspeakable evil sickened the world. We have the terrifying images and (have) read the hearttouching stories." "Some of us have lived them," he
medical and rescue personnel, firefighters
said, recalling, "the firefighter clutching
anger you feel is valid, but you must not allow yourself to be consumed by it." Quoting St. Paul, the president said, "Let us not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good." He praised the community spirit of
who
Oklahoma City residents sit in silence during an April 20 prayer service for the victims of the bombing of a federal office building. (CNS photo from Reuters)
»
the
body of a sweet, innocent child. The
Parish Organizes Support For Victims
and police among them who had assisted in rescue efforts.
Parents and relatives wept openly as the Children's Choral Society of Okla-
homa performed. "Your pain is unimaginable and we know that," said President Clinton. "The
Oklahoma
OKLAHOMA CITY (CNS) — The morning explosion at the federal building in
Oklahoma City April 19 left hanging,
like the dust in the air, the lives of
hun-
affected families. Registered psychologists were to conduct a special session on
the evening of April
dreds of residents in central Oklahoma. St.
John the Baptist Church
Edmond,
just north of
Oklahoma
in
City,
appeared to be the hardest-hit Catholic parish. Three parishioners have been confirmed dead, three or four missing
and five injured. Many parishioners also have friends directly affected by the April 1 9 bombing. "Please tell everybody to pray," said Father John A. Petuskey, pastor of St. John's. "These people really are in crisis. The Lord is our only hope." Every classroom in the parish school has at least one child with either a relative or neighbor missing. "It's important to be with these children, to allow them to talk,"
explained Father Petuskey.
Two
days after the bombing, the school set aside a time "to encourage the children to pray."
The parish has assembled an emergency crisis team of psychologists, physicians and pastoral staff to meet with
24 to help parishio-
ners deal with stress and grief.
is
is
old daughter, Ashley. The child was with
her grandparents at the Murrah building
organizing support group
for a 9 a.m. appointment at the Social
meetings to begin immediately and continue at different times during the week for the next six weeks. The purpose of the groups
Treanor held up a picture of her 4-year-
to Father Petuskey, the
According parish also
Outside a makeshift Red Cross cenday after the bombing, Kathleen
ter the
to help parishioners pro-
cess their grief.
Security office;
all
three were still among
the missing April 24.
"This was
my
baby," cried Mrs. have hope that she's down there in a pocket somewhere."
Treanor. "I
still
National Conference of Catholic Bishops, to preach at every parish Mass
Hugging Ashley's teddy bear, her sobbing mother said, "I want everyone to know what my little girl looks like in case they've seen her. If someone finds her,
April 29-30.
please bring her to me."
He
also has invited Father Bruce
Nieli, director of evangelization for the
"The long-term effects haven' t even begun," Father Petuskey said. "That will be the big thing. Right now we are still in shock, while needing for life to go on." He said that confirmation and first Communion ceremonies scheduled for the
weekend
after the
bombing were
going to proceed as planned. The Treanor family of Guthrie, north
Oklahoma City, was among those whose lives were left hanging by the
of
explosion.
"We believe in God," Mrs. Treanor said.
"Even with these monsters, these
evil people,
who are willing to hurt inno-
cents who have never hurt anyone in their lives."
In an especially poignant plea, Mrs. Treanor added, "If we could just stop the killing and the hate, these senseless things wouldn't happen ... Oh my baby. She was so very precious. I just have to know."
City. "If anybody thinks Americans are mean and selfish, they ought to come to Oklahoma," he said. "If they think Americans have lost the capacity for love and courage, they ought to come to Oklahoma." Many in the overflow audience had waited in line for several hours wrapped in blankets against the wind and chill. Clinton told them, "Those who are lost are with God. Someday we will be with
them. Until that happens, their legacy
must be our lives." Archbishop Beltran, among those officiating during the service, said every-
one there had been affected, had been hurt and grieving, but reminded them of the need for hope. "Everyone of us can be a person filled with hope," he said, "for our hope is in the Lord God." He added, "the hope we express here today is realistic and attainable." "Times like this will do one of two things," said Dr. Graham, "make us hard, bitter and angry at God, or tender and open to reach out in faith." "I pray that you won't let bitterness and poison creep into your soul," he added. "Turn and trust in God. Better to face something like this with God than without him."