From mountain to mountain, from tiny church to tiny church, a prayer will rise above the Colorado Rockies tonight for political peace.
A special 7 p.m. service in Gilpin County will implore heaven, Washington and venues in between for greater cooperation and goodwill among U.S. leaders.
Civil discourse has been too coarse, the tone of debate too angry and the spirit of the times too mean, prayer-service organizers say.
In Central City, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church will be joined by St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church, St. James Methodist Church and Black Hawk Evangelical Free Church.
St. Paul’s also has recruited many small Episcopal churches throughout the mountain region — from Fort Morgan and Creede to Battlement Mesa and Alamosa.
“It is not our intention to present political sides, issues or other agenda,” said St. Paul’s senior warden, Leslie Duffy. “Our purpose is to collectively raise our voices to ask that our political systems work together to find common ground for the well-being of us all.”
Partisanship has been taken to an unfortunate extreme, Duffy said.
“It’s like having two warring parents,” Duffy said. “It makes for angry children. What do we see in our country right now — so much anger.”
The Rev. Sarah Freeman, vicar of St. Paul’s, began planning the service in October, long before the shootings in Tucson on Jan. 8 pricked the national conscience.
Police say Jared Loughner, a 22-year-old mentally ill Tucson man, killed six people — including a federal judge and a little girl — and wounded 13 others, including Arizona U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
The night of the killings, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik was among the first to link the bloodshed to anger in the public square and meanspirited times.
Dupnik’s comments triggered angry countercharges that Democrats were exploiting the tragedy for political gain. It also triggered some soul searching about the ugliness of American political debate.
“We were chastened by that event,” Freeman said. “It feels to me like we the people have lost our faith and trust in those we put in office. We’ve forgotten our core values. It’s time to lay aside our differences and ask for guidance for these folks. And they need to restore some of that faith and hope.”
Duffy said people don’t need to be at one of these events to add their voice to the prayer.
“I believe the more people who join in the prayer, the stronger the prayer is,” Duffy said.
Electa Draper: 303-954-1276, edraper@denverpost.com or .
