Dear Editor,

On Sunday evening at 7:00 over 140 people gathered on the steps of First Congregational Church on the Green in Norwalk in support of the Worldwide Candlelight Vigil for Peace! The glow of the candles warmed the hearts of the many participants despite the gloom of the days news. We came because we feel we can make a difference in this very scary world. We offer a different vision than the drumbeat to war. We advocate for diplomacy and letting the inspections continue. It is sad that our vision and the vision of the world wide community is being ignored. But our light continues to shine! We sang “We are a Gentle Loving People”, and “Down By the Riverside, Study War No More”. We offered prayers of safety for our troops and guidance to President Bush and Saddam Hussein to come to a peaceful resolution. We shed tears as we sang “America”. The vigil ended as we silently rose our candles high. Our light will not be extinguished. We, the Peacemakers have only begun.

The Peacemakers are an interfaith group of concerned citizens organized out of the First Congregational Church of Norwalk who advocate preemptive peacemaking to current world conflicts. We join together in our belief in the God of love and justice for weekly candlelight prayer vigils on Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. on the steps of the First Congregational Church on the Green in Norwalk. We gather for hot drinks and a short organizational meeting afterwards. All are welcome. Bring your candles. Let your light shine!

Ledell Mulvaney
for “The Peacemakers”