Speeches, prayers, hymn-singing, hand-holding and hugs were presented to offer some comfort to the approximately 175 people who attended a vigil of prayers for healing on Saturday afternoon on the Boothbay Common for the four people in our community who died tragically in the past month.

Led by the Rev. Sarah Foulger of the Congregational Church of Boothbay Harbor, the vigil was held to give friends and neighbors some understanding of the deaths of Carol, Eric and Svend Jorgensen and a 50-year-old Boothbay Harbor resident who committed suicide in late June.

Police investigating the Jorgensen deaths determined that 71-year-old Svend Jorgensen shot his wife, Carol, 75, and his son, Eric, 40, before shooting himself.

Foulger said their are more questions than answers about these deaths. “It is impossible to wrap our minds around what happened, so we are here to wrap our arms around each other.”

Other clergy members spoke at the 30-minute vigil, including the Rev. Maria Hoecker of St. Columba’s Episcopal Church, who urged all to “take one step at a time together,” in dealing with this tragedy. Rev. Peter Panagore of the First Radio Parish Church of America called on God to “Bless these families with strength,” and urged those in the audience to call New Hope for Women or the police if there is trouble in your relationships.

Boothbay Harbor Police Chief Bob Hasch talked about the effect of tragic events on first responders. 

“Small town policing is different. Most of us live and invest personally in our community. The things that affect us, are the things that bind us — most of us know each other directly or indirectly through friends and family,” said Hasch.

“With our work hats on we arrive at a scene and we have our professional list of items to complete. It keeps us busy and we are all capable of maintaining composure to do the job we are tasked with. But that does not mean that eventually the human aspect does not catch up to us days, months, and even years later,” said Hasch.

“I’ve responded to many tragic circumstances over 22 years, and sometimes you do question the twists and turns in life that brought you there. However I do remember, I always remember why .... If not me to do it, who then? Will someone else care? Will they understand the significance of the circumstance or the person? Will they provide a grieving family with every last ounce of effort? Certainly many people out there will. But I know that I will, I know that the emergency workers in the community who currently work with me will,” said Hasch (Hasch’s entire speech is printed elsewhere in this issue).

Pastor Ami Sawtelle of the Boothbay Harbor Methodist Church followed Hasch’s speech with a prayer for the first responders.

Holly Stover of Boothbay, who works for the Maine Department of Health and Human Services and serves as the department’s director for the Office of Violence Prevention, said, “The events of the past two weeks have left us heartsick and sad. We have more questions than answers and it is likely that we may never understand what happened to people who we knew, had relationships with and thought we understood.”

She also urged those attending to help themselves or others if they are in “an acute crisis” to call someone who can help, including a state crisis hotline service.

“Mental health and substance abuse services are available at the St. Andrews campus and also out of town, through Mid Coast Hospital, if you prefer. Referrals and information can be accessed through your primary care doctor, the Community Navigator Program of the BRCRC, or through any caring professional in this community, including our clergy, schools, law enforcement, ambulance, or a person you may know who can help you find what you need,” said Stover.

“We live in one of the most beautiful places in the state of Maine, in the most caring and connected community. Part of being a caring community means that we seek help for ourselves and those we care about and love. You will never make a mistake seeking help or making a call for someone because something doesn’t seem quite right. Trust your gut, follow your heart and never stop loving one another and being part of this caring place we call home,” Stover said in conclusion.

To conclude the vigil, Foulger asked everyone to form a circle around the Common by holding hands, to say: “Peace be with you to the next person in the circle,” followed by hugs to those who would accept one “as a show of peace and love.”