Cathedral’s Pulse Requiem Eucharist Honors Victims, Offers Gospel Hope

Days before the tenth anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting that claimed the lives of 49 people and wounded dozens more, the Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Orlando, gathered on June 10 for a Pulse Requiem Eucharist. The service offered a time to remember the victims and offer gospel hope to those whose lives were forever changed by the tragedy, including family members and first responders.

Pulse, an LGBTQ nightclub in Orlando, was hosting “Latin Night” on June 12, 2016, when a shooter opened fire.

Bringing together clergy and worshippers from across Central Florida, the service, which was livestreamed, offered an opportunity not only for remembrance, but also for reflection and prayer to recommit to the fight against hatred in light of the baptismal covenant.

The Rev. Canon Dr. Dan Smith, canon to the ordinary, who preached at the service, highlighted four things that underlie tragedies such as this one: discrimination, hatred, fear and violence. “They are antithetical to the gospel of Jesus Christ and the vows that each and every one of us take at our baptism,” he said.

In his sermon, Smith challenged those gathered to consider how Christians are called to respond with love when confronted by hatred and violence.

That response is exactly what the Rev. Garrett Puccetti, resident priest at the Cathedral, had in mind when he planned the service.

“Because Christ first loved us and because we believe in the resurrection of the dead, we, as the Cathedral, decided that we needed to continue the same ministry we offered right after the Pulse shooting happened,” Puccetti, who also served as celebrant for the service, told Episcopal News Service. Local stations WFTV News, Fox 35 News and Spectrum News 13 also covered the event.

In the days following the 2016 shooting, the Cathedral opened its doors for prayer and pastoral care. The church also hosted the funeral of one of the victims, living into its vision to “experience, embody, and extend the love of Jesus Christ.”

Smith described the Pulse nightclub shooting as an event “etched in our memory this day, an event that changed Orlando forever.” The second-largest mass shooting in modern United States history, it was deemed an act of terrorism by the FBI. In addition to those killed, 58 were injured, many of whom were Latino.

“For as you all know, the patrons that night at Pulse nightclub represented two groups that have felt hatred as a result of who they are and where they are,” Smith said in his sermon, outlining that those two groups continue to experience discrimination and fear.

The names of the 49 victims were read aloud during the service, for which 49 blue votives adorned the Cathedral and which concluded with the same number of bell tolls. Smith also wore a stole embroidered with the names of the victims, a gift from the mother of one of those 49.

“The real question that I want you to ponder this day is, where will you be?” he asked those gathered for the service. “Where will you be when hatred is spewed? Where will you be when someone is pushed to the edge of our society or pushed out completely? Where will you be when violence raises its ugly head, as it undoubtedly will? Will we live into and up to the promise we make at our baptism, to share the hope of the gospel, to respect the dignity of all people and to seek, always, justice and peace?”

May our answer come from the prayer read by Puccetti, the words of which are attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: “Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is discord, union. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy.”