MARYSVILLE — In the darkened auditorium at Marysville Pilchuck High School on Tuesday night, faith leaders from around Snohomish County offered prayers and words of support for those whose lives were changed Oct. 24.
Four months ago a freshman brought a gun into one of the school’s cafeterias. Just after 10:30 a.m. he stood up at the table where his friends were eating lunch. The Tulalip boy opened fire. His bullets hit five teens, and then he turned the gun on himself.
Killed were Andrew Fryberg, 15, and Zoe Galasso, Shaylee Chuckulnaskit and Gia Soriano, all 14. Nate Hatch, 15, is the only survivor.
“This did happen to us. Some of our children, five of them, died in violence. We are left looking for a foundation to stand on,” said the Rev. Dwight Lewis of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Marysville.
More than 100 people gathered Tuesday night for an interfaith candlelight vigil to mark the four months since the deadly shootings.
Mayor Jon Nehring and Tulalip Tribes Vice Chairman Les Parks welcomed the crowd and praised both communities for uniting in the face of tragedy.
This is not the time to ask why the shooting happened, Parks said.
“We’ll never understand why,” he said. “We’ve come here to cry together, grieve together and heal together and pray together.”
The service was opened with a traditional Native American drum song. Natosha Gobin offered a prayer in Lushootseed, a Coast Salish language.
“We are stronger together. We are not broken,” she said.
The vigil was organized by the Rev. Terry Kyllo of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Marysville and the Rev. Pat Twohy, a Roman Catholic priest who ministered to the Tulalip Tribes for two decades. Kyllo is part of the community team focused on recovery efforts.
Mary Schoenfeldt was in the audience Tuesday night. She was hired to direct the recovery efforts in the Marysville School District. She was heartened by the turnout.
“Recovery is an individual journey. It doesn’t have to be a lonely journey, though,” she said. “The more unity we see the more we know we are not alone in this.”
Superintendent Becky Berg was humbled by the support from the faith community and those in the audience.
“We can’t fix what happened on Oct. 24,” she said. “We can define ourselves by how we move forward.”
Pastor Kim Reynolds of Hillside Church became emotional as she told the crowd that her daughter was in the cafeteria that day. She read from Psalm 61 — asking God for His shelter in times of struggle.
Jafer Sidiqui with American Muslims of Puget Sound told the crowd to lean on each other, not to hide their grief and sorrow.
Others will help carry your burdens, Sidiqui said.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @dianahefley.
Learn more
For more information about recovery efforts and resources for Marysville families and students, go to www.mtunited.org.
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