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University Gathers for Prayer Service to Pray for Peace in the World

03/07/2022

Saint Louis University held a prayer service Monday, March 7, to pray for peace in the world. 

University President Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D., delivered remarks during a prayer service for peace Monday, March 7, at St. Francis Xavier College Church. Photo by Joe Barker.

University President Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D., delivered remarks during a prayer service for peace Monday, March 7, at St. Francis Xavier College Church. Photo by Joe Barker. 

Members of the public joined with the #OneSLU community in prayer for peace in the world. The event featured prayers for peace during the conflict in Ukraine, as well as for all global conflicts. Nandini Fonseca, president of the Student Government Association (SGA), read the first reading and Aric Hamilton, SGA's VP of Diversity and Inclusion, offered the Prayers of Intercession. 

University President Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D., delivered remarks. 

Pestello's Remarks

Today we gather to pray for the people of Ukraine. We condemn the tyranny and aggression of the Russian government’s invasion of Ukraine. Our thoughts are especially with the members of the Saint Louis University community whose homes and loved ones are endangered by this conflict.

Together we gather to pray for peace in Ukraine and around the world. As today’s readings suggest, we seek to live in love, to follow the living example of Jesus Christ.

Love may not be what first comes to mind, as we see the terrifying images of Ukraine under siege. Such images evoke fear, repulsion, anger, and grief. Our community mourns the losses of this war.

As a Catholic, Jesuit University, we are always called to turn toward love. Love leads to solidarity with the oppressed. It calls us to work tirelessly for justice. Love propels us to create the conditions for lasting peace. To ask: What can I do? What can we do?

At Saint Louis University, we pursue peace through inquiry, dialogue, service, action, and prayer. As we learn together, as part of a global Jesuit university community, we apprehend that we are fundamentally connected to one another. We see the suffering in Ukraine, and we understand that every person around the globe who suffers because of unjust violence is deserving of care, peace, justice, and healing.

Each of us has something to contribute to extending peace and healing. Today, we might choose to support an organization that is providing direct humanitarian support. Or we might seek to cultivate peace through prayer and contemplation. All of us are called to further study to learn more about global conflicts, their causes and consequences – even when those conflicts are not the focus of international headlines. And each might consider engaging in political advocacy or humanitarian work. Let us commit to be leaders who follow the path of peace and justice, and who always prioritize the needs of the vulnerable and the oppressed.

In Maya Angelou’s eulogy for Coretta Scott King, Dr. Angelou recalled a time when Mrs. King said to her: “[I]t shouldn't be an 'either-or', should it? Peace and justice should belong to all people, everywhere, all the time. Isn't that right?”

I affirm our University’s Jesuit values as I repeat Dr. Angelou’s reply. She said: “[Y]ou’re absolutely right. I do believe that peace and justice should belong to every person, everywhere, all the time.”

May peace be with the people in Ukraine, with all of you, and with all people everywhere. May we be the instruments of God’s peace.

Founded in 1818, Saint Louis University is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious Catholic institutions. Rooted in Jesuit values and its pioneering history as the first university west of the Mississippi River, SLU offers more than 15,200 students a rigorous, transformative education of the whole person. At the core of the University’s diverse community of scholars is SLU’s service-focused mission, which challenges and prepares students to make the world a better, more just place.