The memory of a beloved Siena student who lost his life while training as a firefighter is being commemorated with a new outdoor pathway featuring the Stations of the Cross.
Peyton Morse ’21 died in the line of duty in March 2021 after suffering a medical emergency at the New York State Academy of Fire Science. When his family’s home parish, St. John’s Church in LaFargeville, N.Y., closed several months later, the church gifted their stations to Siena in Peyton’s memory. They are being used to create Peyton’s Path on the east side of campus, a walking path of prayer and reflection.
“Like St. Francis, who found God within nature, Peyton also found peace and joy in the outdoors,” said Fr. Larry Anderson, O.F.M., Siena’s chaplain. “Peyton was a man of faith, and no stranger to the chapel or the Grotto.”
Just as Siena’s chapel and Grotto are places of prayer and peace for not only the Siena community but the larger Capital Region, Peyton’s Path will be as well. It will meander through the woods alongside our campus' outdoor challenge course, and end at the north side of Hickey Field. Wood and glass cases with LED lighting were designed and built by Siena carpenters to house the fourteen stations that commemorate Jesus Christ’s last day on earth as a man. A stone bench at each station will provide a quiet place to pause and reflect.
Groundwork and electric conduits have already been installed on the path, and in July further work will be done on landscaping and the installation of the stations and benches, according to Mark Frost, assistant vice president for facilities management. He said the entire site should be completed by August; a dedication ceremony with Peyton’s family is being planned for September.
When asked how this path of prayer in honor of Peyton will impact Siena, Fr. Larry said, “Our former college president, Br. Ed Coughlin, was asked what it meant to be a Saint. He responded, ‘The saints are the good people. When good people get to heaven, they become angels; they are the ones that carry the fire.’ Peyton will always be a Siena Saint, he was one of the good ones, and his light still shines brightly.”