Religious Leaders Putting Faith Into Action To Stop Gun Violence In Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Religious leaders say you are part of the solution. They are calling for new action to prevent gun violence in Philadelphia.
On Saturday, they shared with Eyewitness News their plan to help end the suffering in the city.
Religious leaders are putting their faith into action to stop the bloodshed. One group says their focus is getting guns off the street.
It was a mass of a different kind as the names of Tyrone Freeman Jones along with dozens of others lined the alter at a memorial to Philadelphians murdered by illegal guns.
"The T-shirts represent the names of those who were murdered in 2020, so we have their names, their age, and their date of death," said Jaclyn Newns, with Heeding God's Call To End Gun Violence.
The mass was led by Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson Perez.
"As I walked up and saw their beautiful portraits but behind these portraits is a life," Perez said.
The mass was held at Chestnut Hill College. It was organized by Heeding God's Call to End Gun Violence. The group is committed to ending gun violence across the country.
"We have students and friends in our community who do live in fear and have vocalized to me, 'What if that's my family member next?' We're doing our best to address that through the lens of faith," Newns said.
In total, 447 of these shirts can be found throughout the college's campus. The group used the images to garner prayer and support from all backgrounds for this one cause.
"We hope to build faith-based support across the state for changing the laws and the culture around guns so they're not as easily accepted as just part of life," said Bryan Miller, with Heeding God's Call to End Gun Violence.
The group is encouraging young people to be a part of anti-violence missions like theirs.
For a list of gun violence resources in Philadelphia, click here.