Bates students and faculty along with members of the local community gathered in the Gomes Chapel on Oct. 25 to commemorate the third anniversary of the Lewiston mass shooting. The shooting claimed eighteen lives, injured countless more and left an indelible mark on the surrounding community.

The thirty-minute event was bookended by Multifaith Fellow Benny VanDerburgh ’15. In his opening remarks, he stressed Bates’ proximity to the event saying, “each person (who died) was one degree (of separation) away from all Mainers.”

He also thanked the first responders, some of whom were Bates Emergency Medical Services workers.

Central to his speech was a sense of compassion and unity in the shooting. VanDerburgh said, “Nothing can ever separate us from our inherent dignity and worth and no one else from theirs.”

The humanity of the victims was central to the service as a whole; three ornately decorated tables housed photos of each person lost along with candles.

Hanna Ranis ‘27 recounted her experience in the aftermath of Oct. 25, stating, “I wasn’t sure if I would ever feel safe again.” Ranis added to VanDerburgh’s unification sentiment saying, “We carry with us the feeling of coming together and being in this space holding each other.”

Jamie Shelton ‘27 introduced a reflective art process of writing down one’s thoughts to be compiled into a larger art piece for the Gomes Chapel. They took five minutes of silence, and concluded it with the striking of a bowl.

Shelton also introduced the passing of the flame event, where they and Ranis walked through the main aisle lighting candles in each row. Each person in the aisle set then passed their flame down the row. The passing of flame, done since the first remembrance event in 2023, emphasizes unity and collective grief.

The remembrance concluded with a violin performance and closing remarks from VanDerburgh.