Waukesha Christmas parade attack, pastor prayed with injured victims
WAUKESHA, Wis. - A Waukesha pastor is sharing his experience after rushing to the Christmas parade tragedy and assisting the injured.
Pastor Chris Marien was home during the parade tragedy. The police chaplain got an alert on his phone and hurried to Main Street. Since the attack, he's been able to reflect on the tragedy and his faith.
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"By the time I got there, there were first responders everywhere," said Marien.
As a volunteer police chaplain, Marien was called to scene of the Waukesha Christmas parade tragedy on Nov. 21.
"It took about five minutes of standing there to take in the scene," said Marien. "When I don’t know what to do, the first thing I do is I pray: ‘God, use me where I need to be used.’"
Marien said he started by kneeling and praying with one of the injured.
"That was strapped to a backboard, waiting for transport," said Marien. "Asked them their name, and I prayed with them and moved from one, to the next, to the next, as long as I wasn't interfering with first responders."
Marien is lead pastor of Ascension Lutheran Church in Waukesha. In a sermon a week after the tragedy, Marien shared a message of hope while addressing the devastation.
"God is still here," said Marien. "That’s a big deal. Like, God is present no matter what has happened. God is still here. The second piece of that was to be really honest with the adults in the space and the children in the space."
Many continue to process what happened. Marien is relying on his faith as he moves forward.
"If I can be a little bit of light in the midst of a really, really painful situation, then I will do that every time," said Marien.
Several members of Marien's church attended and marched in the parade. He said as people process the pain and trauma, we have to be gentle and give space to each other.
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