Monday, Oct. 1, marks exactly one year since the horrific Las Vegas mass shooting that left hundreds injured and claimed 58 lives. A sunrise memorial was held Monday at the Clark County Government Amphitheater to honor those who lost their lives after shooter Stephen Paddock opened fire on an unsuspecting crowd of concertgoers during last year’s Route 91 Harvest country music festival, Fox News reported.
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The ceremony, which began at 6:30 a.m. local time, included 58 seconds of silence to honor victims, musical performances and prayers for continued healing in the aftermath of the mysterious and devastating incident.
At the start of the event, a Las Vegas Police chaplain delivered a powerful prayer that addressed the tragedy and the transcendent hope that only God can provide in the wake of such evil.
“Heavenly Father, we come to you in humility and with grief as we remember what took place one year ago today,” he began. “We come to you, God, our eternal source, for comfort and healing. Our prayers are for those whose lives were lost last year and for family members and friends who are attempting to cope with that loss.”
After praying for the physical, emotional and spiritual healing of all those affected by the shooting, he offered up praise to God for how He continues to take something so wicked and use it for His glory:
“We thank you today as we remember what happened, that you can take something the enemy meant for evil and use it for good,” he prayed. “We thank you for being a God that can take death and turn it into resurrection. We remember how so many in this community rallied together to show love to everyone and supported everyone. And today, we remember that love triumphs over evil, and we rejoice for how far you have brought us, and for how far we have come.”
Watch:
Many others have gathered in Las Vegas to show their support for victims and their loves ones.
A retired Illinois carpenter who famously drove to the city last year to set up a memorial of 58 wooden crosses he made for those killed in the attack returned last Friday to resurrect his “Crosses For Losses,” Inside Edition reported.
Return of the crosses: Greg Zanis' #1October memorial crosses are back at the @LasVegasSign as the one year anniversary fast approaches. @KTNV pic.twitter.com/1LpIKeyAHh
— Eric Jungblut (@JungblutEric) September 28, 2018
Greg Zanis told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he hopes his memorial will honor victims and provide comfort to their loved ones.
“They’ve gone through birthdays without their loved one,” he said. “They’ve gone through every holiday without their loved one.”
While the memorial was originally set up last year near the “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign, it is currently on display at the Clark County Government Center.
Group of survivors from Las Vegas mass shooting pray before Jason Aldean's set https://t.co/h5JAeCsVpI pic.twitter.com/H8D2ljtqWU
— WSYX ABC 6 (@wsyx6) October 1, 2018
On Saturday evening, several survivors of the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting held a prayer vigil ahead of a Jason Aldean concert in Irvine, California, WENN-TV reported. The country star, whose set was cut short last year by the horrific blast of gunfire, also performed at a memorial concert in Las Vegas last month.
Watch the powerful tribute:
Tonight Troopers and local first responders were on stage at the @TMobileArena for the @iHeartFestival with @Jason_Aldean for a powerful October 1 tribute. The crowd was so amazing and supportive to all of us. Very humbling. NHP is proud to be #vegasstrong #lasvegas #nhpsocomm pic.twitter.com/ArX4KKio0X
— NHP Southern Command (@NHPSouthernComm) September 22, 2018
An incredible amount of unlikely and inspiring tales of hope have emerged in the year since the Las Vegas massacre. Faithwire has documented several — you can read them all here.