Photo by Erik Cox Photography
A bell rang at the Washington National Cathedral 60 times on Tuesday in mourning of the people killed in Sunday’s mass shooting in Las Vegas.
Bishop Dan Edwards of the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada, a member of the Bishops United Against Gun Violence, called on colleagues around the country to ring bells in solidarity at 9 a.m. PST.
Before the cathedral’s Bourdon bell rang in Washington, clergy members shared condolences and spoke about efforts to curtail the country’s gun violence epidemic during a vigil.
“We gather in grief and urgency to say that as people of faith and prayer we know well—we know better than anyone—that thoughts and prayers, while important, are insufficient,” said Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, diocesan bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, in the Bishop’s Garden at the National Cathedral.
“Faith without works is dead, prayers without actions mean little,” said Edgar Budde, urging that lawmakers create “a comprehensive solution to gun violence.”
Budde was joined by nearly a dozen other clergy members who stopped at noon for the tolling of the cathedral’s heaviest bell, which rings at funerals and “in times of national mourning,” Budde said.
The bell rang 59 times for the number of victims that police report were killed as a result of the shooting. It also rang once for gunman Stephen Paddock, who police say shot himself after firing at festival-goers from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel.
Police say Paddock also wounded at least 527 other people, including a Maryland native who is in a coma and lost her right eye in the shooting, according to WJLA.
The National Cathedral livestreamed the vigil this morning. Take a look below.