Trinity Community Held Vigil for Victims of Syrian Chemical Weapon Attack

Trinity sophomore Matthew Cauliflower
takes part in a prayer during the vigil
Photo by Kate Irvin

By Kate Irvin

Amidst the chaos there is hope. This was the main message sent by a vigil last night for the victims of the recent chemical attack in Syria that has killed at least 70 people, including many children.

The vigil was led by a Trinity student group, the International Human Crisis Initiative, in front of the Parker Chapel, and brought together close to 50 students and faculty.

As the participants gathered in a circle, their faces lit up by the light of the candles in their hands. Among them were athletes, sorority and fraternity members, and faculty. They made comments about the attack and said prayers.


Although Syria is thousands of miles away, the horrific events ​there seemed all too close when junior Trinity student Yara Samman, a Syrian herself, spoke about her home country.

Samman shared her personal experiences and thoughts on the crises in her motherland, which she described as purely beautiful, home of many beautiful people, and having a truly beautiful soul.

Holding back tears, she expressed anger as well as concern for her fellow Syrians. But she said that even though these attacks are heinous, she knows that there is still good in the world and hope for her people.

“This horrible event in Syria was different,” said Trinity University Chaplain Stephen Nickle. “There are seemingly dozens of horrendous events that happen in the world on almost a day-to-day basis, but this one caught the attention of the Trinity community in a different way because it affects members of our community and it hits a lot closer to home.”

As the vigil commenced, a final prayer was said and each candle in the circle was blown out, but the lack of flame didn’t hinder the amount of warmth that was shared amongst the students and faculty involved. They shared hugs and smile. Eventually, each person left and ventured back into the reality of their own lives.

Daniela Montufar Soria,​ the president of the International Human Crisis Initiative, said the event reflected the support for the victims from the Trinity community.

“It can be so easy to get caught up in your own little world with exams and assignments, but it is clear that there are people on this campus that want to understand what else is going around the world and want to try to make a difference,” said Soria, a junior double majoring in economics and global politics. “It shows a lot of solidarity that people came out to support and it really keeps the idea of life and how fragile it can be in perspective. There is something so human about that and I felt a lot of hope tonight .”