Milwaukee church hosts 24 hours of prayer for peace at inauguration

MILWAUKEE - All Saints' Cathedral in Milwaukee Tuesday, Jan. 19 hosted a 24-hour prayer vigil leading up to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. At a time when many people don't feel comfortable going inside a church due to the coronavirus pandemic, anyone was able to join in with their cellphone. 

Standing in All Saints' Cathedral, surrounded by history, Dean Kevin Carroll said what happened at the United States Capitol on Jan. 6 is particularly appalling.

"It’s a sacred place for our civil life together, so to see it kind of desecrated like that was very sorrowful," said Carroll. 

Carroll said the political moment prompted him to reach across the aisle.

"We have people right across the political spectrum in our parish," said Carroll. "We have some who are very happy that Joe Biden is being inaugurated. We have others who are very sad that they don’t understand what happened with the election. Instead of getting bogged down in the politics of it, I was just trying to find a point of commonality."

He found that commonality with prayer.

"I’ve had so many people come and say, 'Well, what can we do?'" said Carroll. "The reality is not much. We can’t go out. We’re still stuck in our homes. The one thing we can all do is pray."

For 24 hours leading up to the inauguration, the church hosted a live-streamed vigil for peace, inviting people to sign up for a time to pray in person or join in from home -- an effort to bring people together during a divisive year. 

"Being a Christian and being a citizen are not mutually exclusive," said Carroll. "In fact, I think they go hand in hand." 

The Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac and Episcopal Diocese of Eau Claire planned similar vigils, all ending on Inauguration Day at 11 a.m.