Navy Yard Shooting Prayers Take Place At Washington National Cathedral

After the tragic shootings Monday morning at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., the Washington National Cathedral is opening its doors to offer prayers for victims and for the safety of D.C.-area residents.

An Episcopal church, it focused its Holy Eucharist service at noon on the devastating violence and its leaders plan to do the same at its 5:30 p.m. Choral Evensong gathering. Services are open to the public.

Saying in a statement that church members reacted with "shock and sadness" to the violence, the church's dean, the Rev. Gary Hall, said, "we mourn for those who have died, and we continue to grieve the persistence of gun violence in our nation." He added that the cathedral "will hold the victims, first responders, and the Navy community in prayer, while also making the cathedral’s space and its ministries available today to all who seek consolation and refuge from this loss."

Other houses of worship around the nation are also including Navy Yard victims in prayers and individuals are using the hashtag #PrayforDC on Twitter.