Eyes turned upward as people search for solace

Stacy J. Willis

Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2001 | 9:24 a.m.

They begged God to make sense of this -- of untold numbers dead, of a nation wounded, of spirits fractured and confused.

Adjacent to a U.S. flag that flew at half mast at the International Church of Las Vegas Tuesday night, people held their hands in the air -- toward God, toward heaven, toward something bigger than themselves -- and called aloud, "Let there be peace, please, let there be peace."

"I ask that we pray for our leaders and for those who grieve," the Rev. Paul Goulet told his congregation. "At a time like this, we must join together and help each other and our community."

Bob Hasson, a local contractor who was attending the service, said, "God plays a role in my life, and that's never more apparent than right now. We put our faith in God to handle situations like this, and hope that all nations will do so, in peace."

All over Las Vegas and the nation, houses of worship became the places where people tried to deal with the devastation caused by attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

Even President Bush turned to Scripture when he addressed the nation's crisis Tuesday, quoting Psalm 23 -- "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me" -- giving a Judeo-Christian response to an attack widely speculated to be orchestrated by radical Islamic terrorists.

But thousands of Las Vegas residents of all faiths gathered at more than a dozen churches, synagogues and mosques Tuesday, which began opening for special prayer services hours after the tragedy unfolded.

Huddled on the carpeted floor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Interfaith Center, about 20 Christian, Jewish and Muslim students and clergy shared prayer and song, and lit candles for peace.

Some wore yarmulkes and prayed in Hebrew; others followed the New Testament teachings with the Rev. Bartholomew Hutcherson and two representatives of the Muslim Student Association bowed their heads in silent prayer.

"I think it's a tragedy, and I condemn it," Moiz Dawood, an 18-year-old Muslim student, said. "We are here in grief."

Rabbi Jennifer Weiner of Congregation Ner Tamid asked students to support each other.

"This is a time to draw together," she said. "I hope this doesn't further increase tensions between religious groups. I think it should have the opposite effect. If anything, I would hope that this would unite the world and make people realize we can't allow national nor religious ties to separate us."

Hutcherson, a Catholic priest, added, "We want to say that hatred is not a part of our religious understanding, that we must all pray for peace now."

Students at the gathering were struggling to understand the gravity of the attacks.

"My generation has not grown up with full-out war," UNLV senior Sharon Jacobs said. "So it's really hard to even get the reality of this. It's a shock, it's a scary thing, and it seems unreal."

At the Guardian Angel Cathedral near the Las Vegas Strip, Bishop Joseph Pepe of the Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas made a special appearance at noon Mass to address the crisis.

The cathedral was nearly full; tourists wearing tennis shoes and carrying backpacks kneeled in the pews.

"We come in sadness, and we are stunned by what has happened in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania," Pepe told them. "And we share with our fellow citizens the loss, pain and tragedy.

"We ask God to bring us a sense of peace and a sense of unity as we pray for them this afternoon."

Tourist Sarah Faulkner of Kansas City wore a black T-shirt and wept as she left the Mass.

"I just walked down here from Treasure Island," she said. "Something like this makes you want to pray, not gamble."

Pepe called on Catholics to pray for government officials and members of the armed services.

Rabbi Sanford Akselrad of Congregation Ner Tamid said the Las Vegas Board of Rabbis met and reminded one another to encourage peaceful responses to the tragedy.

"We come to the synagogue for solace and prayer. You cannot let terrorists strip you of your humanity," Akselrad said.

A number of houses of worship have been hosting special prayer services and more are scheduled for today and this weekend.

Many area churches also are urging their members to donate blood to United Blood Services.

Catholics will host another special Mass tonight night at 6:30 at the Shrine of the Most Holy Redeemer on Reno Avenue near the Tropicana hotel.

The Las Vegas Valley's largest church, Central Christian Church in Henderson, opened its doors for a prayer vigil at 8 a.m. Tuesday and remained open throughout the night. Central Christian will hold a special crisis service at 6:45 p.m. tonight.

Six area radio stations will host a candlelight vigil tonight at 7 at the Thomas & Mack Center parking lot.