Lewiston congregation seeks light one year after darkness

LEWISTON — A year after a heartbreaking night when 18 people were killed in a mass shooting, the community gathered for a mostly somber ceremony to remember those who fell and acknowledge the wide-ranging impact of one of Maine’s darkest days.

About 900 people showed up at The Colisée to share their sadness, anger, anxiety, love and many other conflicting emotions.

“You’re just here and that’s what matters,” said the Rev. Sarah Gillespie, multidenominational minister at Bates College. Just showing up, she said, shows “precious hope.”

“We are all part of this beautiful tapestry and that is our strength,” said deaf actress Lauren Ridloff, who has had roles on “The Walking Dead” and the movie “Eternals.”

Designed to mark a milestone on what will likely be a long road to recovery, organizers called the celebration “a moment of reflection, healing and unity,” which they carefully planned “to make everyone feel safe and included.”

At the front of the stage set up in what would normally be an ice rink, there were a row of 18 empty chairs. Each held a blue heart with the name of one of the deceased, as well as white flowers and a candle.

The ceremony itself featured dozens of photos of those killed in the mass shooting at Just-In-Time Recreation and Schemengees Bar & Grille on October 25, 2023, as well as their families and friends.

All in all, it showed in painful detail how much had been lost. But it also showed how much is still left.

“We saw love and support emerge from the darkness,” said television sportscaster Tom Caron, a Lewiston native who hosted the event. “There is light here tonight.”

The celebration was organized by the OneLewiston Resilience Fund Committee in partnership with the City of Lewiston, the Maine Resiliency Center and the Lewiston Auburn Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Elizabeth “Liz” Seal, whose husband Joshua was among those killed, spoke of the beauty of the spider’s web with its silky strands that are almost invisible but connected.

After the shooting, Seal said she thought she knew the four people killed, members of the Deaf community and no one else. But she found out that she actually knew much more than that.

She said one of them was an umpire at softball games. Another had a niece who was friends with her daughter. Yet another hosted fundraising events in which she participated. And there were more of them.

She realized, Seal said, that “we are all connected. And these connections, like a spider’s web, are beautiful.”

Her words hit home.

Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline said his most moving moment was Seal’s account of “discovering new connections and community after the tragedy.”

Several speakers said the community showed resilience and strength as they strive to move forward while remembering those who have passed away.

Ridloff said people should mourn those lost but also “celebrate their lives in the community they helped build.”

“This city was built on hope,” Caron noted.

The annual mark brought comments from across the state and beyond.

Gov. Janet Mills, who was present but did not speak, said on social media that she knows this annual day “is difficult for many, but please know that you are not alone, that we are ‘Lewiston Strong,’ and that we We will continue to heal, together.”

Maine State Police released a statement saying: “On this day, we remember those killed and the families forever changed. May we never forget those who are no longer with us, all those affected by this situation and all emergency services throughout the region. Today we are all #LewistonStrong.”

“The events of that day devastated people’s lives and impacted all of us in ways we still cannot fully comprehend,” the city of Auburn said in a statement Friday.

Auburn, where residents were killed and wounded in the shooting, said that “in the face of profound tragedy, out of the darkness emerged a light of unity, grace and caring that lifted us and united us. The outpouring of love and support from near and far has been a source of comfort, and slowly our community will continue to heal.

“Since October 25, we have shown ourselves to each other in significant ways over the days, weeks and months. Let us continue to show up for each other and our community. Let us honor those we have lost by remaining strong and standing together; growing, supporting each other and healing as a community.”

Maine’s delegation on Capitol Hill in Washington – U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King and U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden – said in a statement released Friday that “a year ago, the unthinkable happened in Lewiston when a gunman opened fire on a bowling alley and restaurant – shaking the community and Maine to the core.”

“For several days, families hid in their homes while law enforcement worked to track down the shooter,” and his body was found 49 hours later in nearby Lisbon, the delegation said.

“We are grateful for the diligence and courage that put an end to this nightmare and allowed our country to begin working through the agony and destruction,” they said.

“But seats at the kitchen table remain empty, and 18 Mainers are absent from the lives of their friends and families. Others wounded on that terrible day are still recovering.

“As we continue to grapple with this pain, we renew our commitment to help each other, to remember the victims and the lives that were forever changed on that day, and to heal,” the four lawmakers concluded. Collins, King and Golden attended the event.

Ridloff said that life is full of joys and sorrows, life and loss.

“They shape our days,” she said. “Life is a constant process of ups and downs.”

Ridloff noted that “all the remaining days give meaning to October 25.”

Caron said it is “a community of bridges, vehicular bridges and pedestrian bridges that span Androscoggin, connecting Lewiston and Auburn,” and bridges that have always bridged the gap between those with long roots and those who came from Quebec’s immigrants from years ago and refugees in recent years.

“We are stronger together,” Caron said. “Together we are one Lewiston.”

“The beauty of bridges,” he added, “is that they lead somewhere.”

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