JUNE IS NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH. Every day, more than 300 people are directly impacted by gun violence in the United States. Gun Violence Awareness Month was created to draw attention to this tragic reality and demand life-saving change. The St. Louis Archdiocese honors this month with a weekly series of bulletin articles.

From the St. Louis Archdiocesan Task Force On Gun Violence Prevention:

Wear Orange is a movement to honor victims and survivors of gun violence and to raise awareness of the impact of gun violence, which began in 2013 by friends of Hadiya Pendleton.  Hadiya marched in President Obama’s second inaugural parade.  One week later, she was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago. Soon after this tragedy, Hadiya’s friends commemorated her life by wearing orange, the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others.

As we hear in today’s Gospel, “…if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” So, instead, let us stand together in solidarity this weekend with many Americans who wear orange in tribute to more than 43,000 Americans killed with guns and 76,000 more shot and wounded each year.