Chicago churches unite to honor kids lost to violence

Chicago churches unite to honor kids lost to violence

**CHICAGO** - The 264 names read like the role at a commencement ceremony. Brothers and sisters, cousins and close friends, black, white, and Hispanic, one by one they were read, except the names were not those of honor students and graduates. They were the names of victims. Since the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year in Chicago, the country's third largest city, "264 children age 18 and under have been killed by violence":https://portal.chicagopolice.org/portal/page/portal/ClearPath/News/Statistical%20Reports/Index%20Crime%20Statistics/2010%20Index%20Crime%20Statistics/mcsDec10%5B1%5D.pdf. It is an alarming number and one that continues to get worse by the day. A group of churches in the Windy City is leading the charge to take a stand against the violence with a program called "Urban Dolorosa":http://urbandolorosa.org -- the term originated in a 13th century hymn that means "the sorrowful city". This week, five different churches are hosting five candlelight vigils honoring the fallen children of the city and hopes that the message resonates throughout the city. "I had a mom call me and say 'My baby was 19 and he just graduated from high school and was on his way to college and he was shot and killed,'" said Rev. Susan Johnson, senior minister at Hyde Park Union Church on Chicago's south side and founder of Urban Dolorosa. "I went back and went through all of our records and if I include 19 and 20-year-olds who could still be in high school -- many of them are -- the number goes from 264 to 397. We have a very serious problem in Chicago." Johnson started Urban Dolorosa in October 2010 as an answer by the religious community in the wake of the increase in youth violence in the city. The programs, which are open to people of all races, ethnicities, and faiths, are held in churches around the city each night as a method of honoring the dead as well as presenting a very upfront look at the problem at hand. "What our congregation discovered as we became more involved in the issues and really trying to find ways to make a difference is that a lot of churches are paralyzed by this," said Johnson, who has been at Hyde Park Union for 29 years. "Sometimes they're very fearful themselves. Other times, they either hunkered down, or even developed a superior attitude amidst the chaos of the streets. The kids here are really feeling it." Johnson, who is openly critical of the lack of response from the city's clergy, has lead what she calls "peace table" conversations with fellow pastors in the city and teens from some of the city's most dangerous neighborhoods. "The kids said to us that the clergy are hypocrites," Johnson said. "They're not caring about us. They're not coming and inviting us in. So part of (Urban Dolorosa) has been to educate us as religious leaders. "Sometimes, religious leaders are out there perpetuating urban myths about where this youth violence is coming from rather than really helping to resolve some of the critical factors." Johnson knows that help at a governmental level is not likely to come, so she feels it is up to the citizens and churches to help take a stand. "We recognize that you need a certain level of expertise in order to do this work," she said. "We think a lot more people can be involved and this isn't a time where we can count on government dollars." The entire vigil is a combination of spoken word poetry, instrumental classical music, choral performances, the reading of all the names of the deceased, and a candlelight vigil outside of the church at the end. During the spoken word on Thursday night at New Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church, poet Brenda Matthews said "Has Chicago become Iraq and Afghanistan?," as she led the youth choirs of Holy Cross Parish and Johnson College Prep to into the main sanctuary.