Sikhs Attend Prayer Meeting at Newtown High School in Connecticut

December 19, 2012: On December 16, 2012, in response to the tragic events and suffering at Newtown, CT, WSC-AR coordinated with Sikh Americans from ten Sikh Gurdwaras (of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey), to attend the candlelight vigil and interfaith prayer service held at Newtown High School.

Eknoor Kaur, 3, with her father Gurmail Singh attends a candlelight vigil outside Newtown High School on December 16, 2012 (Photo courtesy of Associated Press)

The vigil and the service were held in memory of the victims of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown on Friday morning, in which twenty children, six adults, and the shooter died.

President Barack Obama participated in the interfaith prayer service and addressed the gathering. He also met with the families of the victims of the shooting to comfort them.

Over 100 Sikhs from ages 3 to 80, who travelled from as far as Buffalo, NY, were in attendance. While some Sikhs, including WSC-AR representative Mr. Mohinder Singh, were inside the main auditorium for the interfaith prayer service, others braved the biting cold and drizzle outside in paying their respects to the departed souls, and sharing the loss with parents, family and fellow citizens, as there was not enough room inside.

The Chairperson of WSC-AR, Dr. Satpal Singh said, “We come here with a heavy heart, and with a message of condolence and sympathy from the World Sikh Council – America Region for those who have lost the most precious gift that life can endow on anybody. May almighty God lighten your burden, and grace you with a life of peace and tranquility that is otherwise difficult to attain under such difficult circumstances. Our hearts, our minds, our thoughts, and our prayers are with you at the time of this profound tragedy and grief.”

The vigil and the prayer service was attended by Sikhs from the following Sikh Gurdwaras: New England Sikh Study Circle, Milford, MA, Guru Nanak Darbar, Medford, MA , Guru Ram Das Ashram, Millis, MA , Sikh Society of Boston, Everett, MA, Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara, Norwalk, CT, Gurdwara Sachkhand, Hamden, CT, Sikh Cultural Society Inc., Richmond Hills, NY, Sikh Cultural and Education Society of Western NY, Buffalo, NY, Sikh Foundation of Syracuse, Liverpool, NY, and Garden State Sikh Association, Bridgewater, NJ.

The World Sikh Council - America Region (WSC-AR) is the umbrella organization representative of Sikhs in the United States. It is an elected body of Sikh Gurdwaras and institutions. Currently 48 Gurdwaras and other Sikh institutions across the nation are members of WSC-AR. The major governing purpose of the organization is to represent the collective view of Sikhs in the United States. WSC-AR works to promote Sikh interests at the national and international level focusing on issues of advocacy, education, and well-being of humankind. *****

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Obama Leaves Message For Football Coach, Teacher At Newtown High School (PHOTO)

12/18/2012: Two staff members at Newtown High School in Connecticut were surprised to find a message left for them on a whiteboard on Sunday by President Barack Obama.

Newtown football coach Steve George and teacher Bob Pattison had left a note to Obama in a classroom that the president was using as a staging area before his speech at a memorial service for the 26 people -- 20 of them children -- slain during a mass shooting at Newtown's Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday. It read:

George later tweeted that they'd found a reply from the president when they returned to the room.

"You’re in our thoughts and prayers," the note read, above Obama's signature.

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Related Article:
http://www.sikhnet.com/news/sikh-community-mourns-newtown-conn-shooting