John Carroll’s annual genocide vigil scheduled for before spring break was canceled and was unable to be rescheduled. The event would have honored victims and upstanders of various genocides.
“The vigil we had planned to hold this past April had to be canceled due to unforeseen circumstances,” commented Academic Project Manager Louise Gézcy. Mrs. Gézcy has organized the vigil since its beginning in 2018. “Unfortunately, the school calendar at the end of the year is so full of other events, there was no date available to reschedule.”
However, Mrs. Gézcy, who has devoted a large part of her career to educating those on the horrors and realities of genocide, was still able to honor those normally discussed at the vigil in other ways.
She said, “I did create a display for the chapel showcase about genocide to at least enable us to have some sort of remembrance and awareness.”
Mrs. Gézcy’s work concerning genocide awareness extends beyond just organizing this vigil. During her time at JC, Mrs. Gézcy helped to develop the Exploration of Human Rights course, a semester-long class only offered to seniors who are accepted after submitting an application.
She is also responsible for organizing Holocaust Remembrance Day and Lessons of the Shoah, two other events that shed light on the horrific stories of victims of genocide.
Mrs. Gézcy, because of her deep knowledge of Holocaust Studies, felt she needed to take on the responsibility of raising awareness at JC.
She said, “I was acutely aware of the concept and reality of genocide and believed that if as the JC mission statement says ‘that we are graduating students who have global awareness and a commitment to social responsibility’ then our school needed to address genocide in a meaningful way.”
The annual Genocide Vigil aims to educate members of the JC community on various genocides that have occurred over the course of history. During this day-long event, Mrs. Gézcy said that “information is shared about various genocides, names of the dead are read and honored with candle lighting, and commentary about genocide is also provided.”
A main purpose of the vigil is to develop JC’s understanding of genocide, especially the fact that they have occurred before the Holocaust and still continue to occur in the present day.
Mrs. Gézcy commented, “This is a Genocide Awareness Vigil, not just one dedicated to the Holocaust. It is important to acknowledge that while the Holocaust is the largest genocide the world has ever known, there are many other genocides which have occurred before and after the Holocaust happened. My goal to is raise awareness of these other acts of mass atrocity and death.”
The event has been held in the chapel for the past two years, a choice Mrs. Gézcy made because “it is a fitting location as it invites the spirit of community and reverence the event requires.”
JC’s Genocide Awareness Vigil will continue to be held in the future despite this year’s cancellation as a way to educate the JC community on the atrocities of genocide and honor all those affected by them.