"I lost a family member to the virus; fortunately she was able to be buried that same day. My heart goes out to all those who do not have this privilege. Also just yesterday I passed by a temporary morgue stationed outside a hospital in my neighborhood and wondered what can I do? The opportunity to commit to sitting vigil and honoring those lost is very welcomed."
WAYS OF PEACE is convening a growing interfaith network of hourly vigil-keepers across generations and time zones, honoring the COVID-19 dead and all who care for them around the clock.
Vigil-keeping is a simple yet profound meditation — one that can open our hearts to the full beauty of our fragile lives. Pausing to find stillness at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of our busy days, we are discovering "how to live now" as we honor all those whose deaths connect us intimately with our own humanity. LEARN MORE
"I appreciate having the accountability of sitting with/for the dead in the middle of the afternoon. Midday is a useful time for me to surrender my other activities and feel the reverberations of the prior hours, my mind-state, and my heart's intentions. I'm finding my way with it."
Across cultures and faith traditions — Jewish Omer, Muslim Ramadan, Christian Eastertide, Buddhist Vesak — this season of shared vigilance calls us to open our hearts more deeply to those near and far whose lives are being claimed by a global plague. Bearing witness through timeless rhythms of response, vigil-keeping is helping to restore the broken rhythms of community life.
You are warmly invited to join us. LEARN MORE
And when your body has become still,
reach out with your heart.
Know that we are connected
in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.
— Rev. Lynn Ungar, "Pandemic" (3/11/20)
"Share the Vigil" is a How to Mourn AND Organize initiative of WAYS OF PEACE.