GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The city of Grand Rapids is inviting the community to join in a moment of silence and prayer on Monday, June 1 for COVID-19 victims.
Mayor Rosalynn Bliss will be joined with a group of local faith leaders for the citywide moment on Monday. The online gathering is a part of a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance organized by mayors to honor those who have died from the coronavirus.
The Grand Rapids event will start a noon and will be streaming on the mayor's Facebook page. Bliss is asking the community to join in, and she is asking faith leaders to provide prayers for their congregations, ring bells at their place of worship and share the event on social media.
Grand Rapids will be among hundreds of cities participating in the national event, which is being supported by a range of faith organizations.
“In partnership with mayors across the country, I am asking our community to join me for this important moment,” Bliss said. “With the rapid spread of COVID-19, the scope of its impact and the need for physical distancing, we have not been given the time or space to mourn and remember those whose lives have been taken by this deadly virus.”
This week, the United States reached a milestone in the pandemic, with 100,000 people dying from the virus.
Bliss signed a proclamation Friday declaring June 1, 2020 a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance. She will read the proclamation during Monday's event.
Bliss will be joined online by:
- Rev. Katherine Lee Baker, Metro Health and Reformed Church in America
- Rev. Jessica Bratt Carle, Spectrum Health and Presbyterian Church USA
- Rev. Nathaniel Moody, Third Ward city commissioner and Brown-Hutcherson Ministries
- Rev. Mark Przybysz, St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Community
- Imam Sharif Sahibzada, Islamic Center and Masjid of Grand Rapids
- Rabbi Michael Schadick, Temple Emanuel
- Pracharak Fred Stella, Interfaith Dialogue Association and Hindu Temple of Grand Rapids
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