A prayer service held inside the St. Mary of the Angels Chapel on the Siena College campus honored victims and survivors of the quakes and their aftershocks in Turkey and Syria.
“When you think of prayer services, it's in times of need, but we really want to expand that and not just do things in times of need but also to expand that and do little things together. Maybe get-togethers or, you know, just having dinner one night or, you know, getting snacks and you know, watching a movie as, like, clubs together. So not only just for what it is today, but what it is to come for these for our groups here today and what it represents,” said Siena sophomore Carter Gooley, a co-leader of Siena Campus Ministry.
Aaminah Afzal, a third-year student, said the service was the first time she knows of that student religious groups have banded together in prayer on the private campus.
"ALTHOUGH IT IS A MAJOR CRISIS THAT HAS BROUGHT TOGETHER IN THIS MOMENT, TODAY'S PRAYER SERVICE ALSO REPRESENTS SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL…”
AAMINAH AFZAL, 2023 PRESIDENT OF SIENA'S MUSLIM STUDENT ASSOCIATION
“THREE PEOPLE REPRESENTING THREE DIFFERENT FAITHS STANDING TOGETHER ALL BEHIND ONE ISSUE IS A REALLY POWERFUL STATEMENT."
SIENA FRESHMAN MICHAEL SCHNEIDER, WHO REPRESENTED HIS JEWISH CLASSMATES DURING THE CEREMONY.