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Prayers offered for Syrian, other refugees
By Sean Barron
YOUNGSTOWN
Six years ago, Kathleen Sauline was in Lakewood, Ohio, working in a garden when she met a woman from Damascus, Syria, who shared how fearful she was for the welfare of her daughter, son-in-law and four grandchildren.
“She was afraid they were going to be trapped there [at the start of the civil war in Syria]. It was horrible,” recalled Sauline, of Girard, an educator with Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
Sauline doesn’t know what happened to the woman or her loved ones, but the woman’s story was a large part of the reason Sauline was among those who attended a prayer vigil for refugees Friday afternoon in front of the Thomas D. Lambros Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse on Market Street downtown.
In addition, terrorism from ISIS was ramping up in the war-torn country at that time, so the Syrian woman also feared that artwork, historic buildings and other national treasures would be destroyed, Sauline explained.
The peaceful and somber one-hour vigil was just before Christmas to call to mind that Jesus Christ was a refugee, and to stand in solidarity with refugees from Syria, Kenya, Nigeria and elsewhere around the world, many of whom have no place to live, noted Terry Vicars, event organizer.
“We embrace the refugees and stand with them, and we want to give them a welcome to our country,” he said.
Mary Sauline of Cleveland, Kathleen’s daughter, began by having everyone sing “Walk in the Reign,” a song that’s largely about how God is on hand to share in others’ joy and pain. The lyrics carry special meaning for Mary, who is visiting family for the holidays, she added.
Greg Bowman of Salem read from Isaiah 9:2-7, which talks in part about how the baby Jesus was destined to change the world, bring peace, usher in righteousness and allow people to rejoice.
Also, Vicars read the portion from the Book of Matthew that pertains to the Three Wise Men, also known as “The Christmas Story,” in which they notice a star in the sky that would lead them to the king of the Jews who had been born and would save the world during the time of King Herod.
Many people will enjoy their comforts during the holidays as they gather with family and loved ones, but it’s also important to think about refugees who have fled Syria, along with those in other parts of the world who are struggling with homelessness and despair, said Penny Wells, executive director of Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past.
“It’s so easy to be neighborly with those next to us,” Vicars said, adding it’s vital that more people transform their mindsets to also care about and help those afar.