The Madeleine Partners With The Soul Box Project For Powerful Remembrance Of Lives Lost To Misuse Of Guns
Display and events beginning November 12
The Madeleine Parish & School is proud to announce that The Soul Box Project, a national community art project raising awareness about the scale of the U.S. gunfire epidemic, will be coming to The Madeleine beginning November 12. The powerful project consists of displays of hundreds of 3-inch cubic origami boxes representing persons killed or injured by gunfire, the majority of which are suicide.
The Soul Box Project was created by Leslie Lee, a Portland, Oregon, studio artist who wanted to take action after hearing about the Las Vegas music festival shooting in 2017.
“What we are trying to do is have someone walk into these displays and have an ‘ah-ha’ moment. It might mean a person goes home and locks up a gun. Or a mother talks to her kids about the futility of anger and retribution. Or a gun club adds another safety class. Or a voter writes to his legislators. Every one of those actions is a success. We need to appeal to each other on an emotional level,” says Leslie.
Fr. Mike Biewend, Pastor of The Madeleine is preparing for a powerful, somber celebration of the souls who were lost through the tragic misuse of guns. “It is so fitting that this powerful display comes to our community during November…the month the Catholic Church sets aside to remember and commemorate our dead brothers and sisters. This event is even more solemn due to the fact that so many of these gun-related deaths were preventable.”
The Soul Box Project works to raise awareness of the tragic misuse of guns in the United States by counting and honoring victims, offering healing participation to those seeking solace, and providing dramatic visual support for all initiatives working for a safer, more civil society. They envision a society where all people living in the U.S. are empowered to choose actions regarding responsible gun use that reflect their values, priorities and beliefs so that we can live in safe communities, talk to resolve conflicts, have schools focus on learning, gather to worship in peace, and thrive in economies that foster trust and unity.
At The Madeleine, the displays will be available for viewing beginning November 12, Saturdays (November 12, 19, 26) 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm and Sundays (November 12, 20, 27) 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. All are welcome to visit, and experience and contemplate the exhibit.
On November 18, Soul Box founder Leslie Lee will be on hand for a 6:30 pm Meet & Greet event, where she will talk about what inspired her to start the project, followed by an individual tour of the exhibit. On November 20 folks can attend a “Make Your Own Soul Box” session at 11:00 am.
Schedule of Events at a Glance:
October 29-30 & November 5 -6 — Smaller exhibit in the Main Church.
November 12-30 — Full exhibit on display in the Parish Hall. Open Saturdays 6:00-7:00 pm, Sundays 9:00 am-1:00 pm.
November 18 — An Evening with Leslie Lee, Founder of the Soul Box Project. Refreshments 6:30 pm, presentation 7:00 pm, tour of exhibit at your leisure 7:30-8:00 pm.
November 20 — Gathering and activity immediately following 10:00 am Family Mass. Learn how to make your own Soul Box to add to this extraordinary exhibit. All ages welcome.
A Guide for Talking with Children About Gun Violence
Eden Thiessen, The Madeleine School Counselor, in association with our Soul Box Project Exhibit, has assembled an excellent one-page document on how to talk with your children about gun violence. See Gun Violence Talking Points. Please feel free to use it as a way of engaging your child in an age-appropriate discussion should they have questions or concerns about the Exhibit or gun violence in general.
You probably remember poet Amanda Gorman from her appearance at the inauguration of President Biden. On that occasion, she read her poem “The Hill We Climb.” After the senseless slaughter of children and adults at Robb elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022, Amanda was inspired to write this poem, “Hymn for the Hurting.” May we be inspired by the work of the Soul Box Project to act and eliminate the need for another poem like this.
Hymn for the Hurting
by Amanda Gorman
Everything hurts,
Our hearts shadowed and strange,
Minds made muddied and mute.
We carry tragedy, terrifying and true.
And yet none of it is new;
We knew it as home,
As horror,
As heritage.
Even our children
Cannot be children,
Cannot be.
Everything hurts.
It’s a hard time to be alive,
And even harder to stay that way.
We’re burdened to live out these days,
While at the same time, blessed to outlive them.
This alarm is how we know
We must be altered —
That we must differ or die,
That we must triumph or try.
Thus while hate cannot be terminated,
It can be transformed
Into a love that lets us live.
May we not just grieve, but give:
May we not just ache, but act;
May our signed right to bear arms
Never blind our sight from shared harm;
May we choose our children over chaos.
May another innocent never be lost.
Maybe everything hurts,
Our hearts shadowed & strange.
But only when everything hurts
May everything change.
Child Survivors of Uvalde, Texas, shootings write letters to Pope Francis
On May 24, 2022, 19 children and 2 adults were killed in the school shootings at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Some of the children who survived the school shootings recently penned letters to Pope Francis describing their experience of being brutally shot at by a gunman. In return the pontiff has pledged to keep all of the victims and their families in his prayers. These children are now second grade students at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Ulvade. You can read the full November 7, 2022 National Catholic Reporter story and see a sample of the letters here.
Please look for Soul Boxes commemorating the 22 victims of the Robb Elementary School shootings in The Madeleine’s Soul Box Project Exhibit.