The vigils were lead by the Rev. Daniel Haas of The Prayer Coalition for Recompilation and the Rev. Randy Schoof of the Warehouse Church.

Aurora prayer vigils show homicide victims are not forgotten

Aurora, Ill., August 21, 2019 – On Monday., Aug. 19, the Aurora community and the local media gathered to mourn the homicides of two young victims killed on Aurora’s streets in early 2019 with two separate prayer vigils.

The vigils were lead by the Rev. Daniel Haas of The Prayer Coalition for Recompilation and the Rev. Randy Schoof of the Warehouse Church. Haas has participated in some 415 vigils in rain, snow, heat, and cold as noted by The Beacon-News columnist Denise Crosby. Crosby was joined by Beacon reporter Megan Jones at the two community vigils.

one of the prayer vigils for homicide victims
Prayer vigil for Aurora’s first murder victim of 2019 Daniel Alvarez-Rodriguez at the corner of Beach & Claim Streets. Participants included…. Megan Jones and Denise Crosby of The Beacon-News, Rev. Randy Schoof, and Rev. Daniel Haas.  Photo: John Ross

Memorial at one the prayer vigils for homicide victims
Candles and flower memorial for Nicholas Rodriguez. Photo: John Ross

The first vigil, 5 p.m., was for Aurora’s first 2019 homicide victim, Jan. 23, Daniel Alvarez-Perez. This vigil at the corner of Beach and Claim Streets only attracted the media and the prayer leaders.

The next vigil, 6 p.m., was in 300 block of South Spencer Street. This prayer session was for a young 17-year-old victim, Nicholas Rodriguez, killed on Feb. 11, just days before the Henry Pratt Co. mass shooting on Feb. 15. This service drew the victim’s mother, Rachel Mitchell, family and friends.

Nicholas Rodriguez is one of Monday'sprayer vigils for homicide victims
Group at 300 block of South Spencer Street gathered for a prayer vigil for Nicholas Rodriguez. Photo: John Ross

 

prayer vigils for homicide victims
Rev. Daniel Haas and Rev. Randy School pray with Junior Ramirez and Nicholas Rodriguez’s mom, Rachel Mitchell. Photo: John Ross

Rev. Haas begins his vigils with the story in Genesis of the killing of Abel by Cain and closes the sessions with the Lord’s prayer and in-between sprinkles the Christian gospel along with prayer. 

Haas began these vigils in the mid-1990s with Catholic priest Father David Engbarth.

Today’s The Beacon-News ran a  story and a column on these vigils. See the following links…

Aurora mom works to make sure son’s killing not forgotten

https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/aurora-beacon-news/ct-abn-aurora-nick-rodriguez-vigil-st-0821-20190820-xuwgizu2uzh6zm6q4g6wijqvty-story.html

Prayer vigils continue as part of Aurora’s anti-violence movement

https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/aurora-beacon-news/opinion/ct-abn-crosby-vigils-st-0821-20190821-unx5cvql3vc6hghrm3vpt2sryy-story.html

Distributed by Rev. Daniel Haas

Read more XPian News at… https://xpian.news/category/aurora/

John Ross on Saturday, April 23, 2016 launched XPian News, a part of  Daybreak Communications, Inc. Ross is the facilitator of Aurora Christian Ministry Network (ACMN) and a member of the Fox Valley Christian Ministerial Alliance (FVCMA). He serves on the boards of Wayside Cross Ministries and the Kiwanis Club of Aurora. As a follower of Jesus, he has been for some 40 years a member of First Presbyterian Church - Aurora. He has an M.A. - Christian Leadership from Wheaton College Graduate School and undergraduate at Trinity International University.  editor@xpian.news



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