FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Thirty tents lined the pathway at Hurkamp Park, each one representing an individual who died this year and spent some period of time homeless in the Fredericksburg area.
Unfortunately, 30 tents was one too few.
"We had one neighbor die just this morning," said Meghann Cotter, executive director of Micah Ecumenical Ministries, which hosted the All Saints Day service commemorating deceased members of the homeless community.
Micah has traditionally hosted the service on the evening of the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, which is usually Dec. 21 and 22. Micah's Street Church chaplain Chelsea Morse said this was to draw attention to the dark nights and cold temperatures that homeless people must endure for long stretches at a time.
This year, leaders thought it would be more equitable to move the homeless memorial service to Nov. 1—All Saints Day in the church calendar—which is when other congregations remember loved ones who passed away in the preceding year, Cotter said.
The change also highlights the fact that not all the individuals remembered this year died while experiencing homelessness. Some of them had been housed, but "any time spent homeless takes years off of someone's life," Cotter said.
The experiences of those who have been affected by homelessness have been inspirational in guiding Micah's vision of "a community that works for all," Morse said during the service.
Cotter told those who gathered that it is easy to look at homelessness the way a detective looks at a cold case—searching for clues to solve it.
Instead, she said, "the privilege to take part in the life of an unhoused neighbor is a gift to us," because it teaches us to love, to accept and to think about how to be a compassionate community.
Those gathered for the service heard music performed by the FXBG Street Choir, which is directed by Chris Ryder, director of choral activities at the University of Mary Washington. It provides a musical opportunity for those affected by homelessness and a community engagement opportunity for UMW students.
Cotter and Morse then read the names of all 31 people who died this year, along with brief remembrances of each.
There was Shawn Worthen, 27, a graduate of Spotsylvania High School who loved the outdoors.
"His mother asked that when the weather is cool and the leaves are crunchy, like it is most October days, we say to each other, This is Shawn weather," Cotter said.
There was Alexander Donkin, 44, who was known for cleaning up trash along the Rappahannock River; Ricky Nelson, 60, who never ended a conversation without saying, "I love you;" Lisa Green, 55, who was known by the community as "The Warden" and prided herself on keeping the cleanest campsite; Julius Tegi, who for years portrayed a Wise Man in Micah's Christmas Eve pageant; and Thomas Dent, who was "stubborn, obnoxious and loveable."
"He got into enough trouble of his own, but he always tried to keep others out of it," Morse said.
"We love them, we learn from them, we miss them, and the time we spent with them inspires us in our pursuit of a world that works for all people," Cotter said.
The service ended with participants lighting candles and exiting Hurkamp Park while singing the folk song, "I'll Fly Away."
