Parishioners from Christ Church/ISJ are invited to join Bishop Shaw in the Mother’s Day Walk for Peace on Sunday May 12th 8-11am. Please see Rev. Lisa for details.
A record number of groups from the faith community across Eastern Massachusetts also plan to walk. Among them will be a group led by Rt. Reverend. M. Thomas Shaw, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts who has called for a strong presence at this year’s event after the murder of a young man from one of his parishes. The Bishop will officiate at a celebration of the Eucharist immediately following the Walk.
Why Mayor Menino and Governor Patrick Support
the Mother’s Day Walk for Peace
17th Annual Mother’s Day Walk for Peace, Sunday, May 12, 8 – 11AM
Dorchester, MA (April 30, 2013). Recent violence in Boston and nationwide underscore the importance of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute’s message of healing and dedication to peace in our communities. Established in 1996 by Tina Chery who was grieving the death of her son to gun violence, the Mother’s Day Walk for Peace began as an opportunity for families whose children had been killed to gather and support one another.
The walk raises funds to support the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute’s work to assist and empower families impacted by violence by providing support to survivors of homicide. In 2012, the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute served 44 of 53 homicides in the Boston metro area. This year, in the aftermath of recent violence in Boston and elsewhere in the country, thousands more people are expected to attend.
The Mother’s Day Walk is the Peace Institute’s major fundraiser; although there is no cost to register, donations are encouraged to meet this year’s goal of $100,000.
- Mayor Tom Menino, who attends the Walk every year states: “For more than 17 years, the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute has been an ally to the City of Boston, working hard to make Boston’s neighborhoods safer. Today, a commitment to peace is needed more than ever. I’m proud to be a long-time supporter of the annual Mother’s Day Walk for Peace and encourage all of Boston to come out and show their support as well.”
- Governor Deval Patrick states: “We have grieved too many losses on our streets. I am encouraged by the spirit and resilience of this year’s participants that we will achieve peace in our neighborhoods.”
- Scarlett Lewis, mother of six-year-old Jesse Lewis, killed in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, will join other speakers at the 8:00am opening remarks before this year’s Walk.
- Major sponsors include the Gardner Howland Shaw Foundation, The Boston Foundation, the Brooks Family Foundation, the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation and Carney Hospital. Corporate and Individual sponsors are still being sought for this year’s Walk.
- In honor of the walk this year, Boston’s Zakim Bridge will be lit in purple, the universal color of peace, for the Mother’s Day weekend. Joyce Zakim, of The Lenny Zakim Fund, feels strongly, “The bridge illustrates Lenny’s legacy of uniting communities and the Mother’s Day Walk for Peace carries the same important message; working together we can stop violence and bring about peace for us all.”
- Register online (www.mothersdaywalk4peace.org) or on the morning of the walk at Town Field Park, Dorchester, beginning at 7a.m. Opening remarks begin at 8 a.m. and the Walk begins at 8:30 a.m. All participants are encouraged to raise as many pledges as possible to help fund the programs of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, but there is no fundraising minimum to participate.
