Westchester Reporter

Unite Our Nation, a newly formed movement that seeks to bring hope and heal the division in the nation, will be organizing an event in Valhalla on Friday.

"Unite Our Nation is a laity-founded movement formed to inspire and encourage Catholics and all peoples to turn to community prayer as a powerful way to heal our divided nation," organizer of the Valhalla Unite Our Nation event, Melissa Gordon, told the Westchester Reporter.

Gordon said she became involved in the movement for several reasons.

"Personally, I am drawn to communal worship," she said. "Our local churches were closed for several months. Now that they are reopened [with many new protocols], many people have not returned.  

"It’s painful to see how quickly we can fall away from our commitments to our parishes and faith life. And it's also sad to realize how much fear exists—all at this most critical time when we need God, and we need each other the most."  

The divisiveness in the country and what is happening in cities across the nation is another reason for the Unite Our Nation event.

"Everyone sees and feels the division and unrest," Gordon said. "We need to be witnesses to the power of God and the power of loving our neighbor. Unite Our Nation is a chance to come together, pray and stand for peace [and against all violence] and neighborly love."

Unite Our Nation is a new movement that began in Wisconsin less than two months ago, and nearly 3,000 people turned out for the event in Madison, reported the Wisconsin Catholic Tribune. With that success, events are being scheduled across the country, including in Valhalla, according to United Our Nation's website.

"I think Unite Our Nation is a beautiful expression of the power of intercessory prayer," Gordon said. "We consider the rosary the most powerful prayer after the Mass. As Catholics, we are called to be witnesses to the glory and goodness of God."

Gordon says she hopes that people gathering in Valhalla and publicly sharing their belief in God will bring about change.

"We hope that by publicly sharing our faithfulness in the belief that God can heal our nation, if only we implore his help, we will awaken his spirit in others," she said. "Catholics believe that our country was founded as one nation, under God. We know that when we remove God from our families, our culture, our public squares, etc. chaos ensues."

Gordon added that with all that is happening in the country, prayer is needed.

"We all feel that we are on the brink of losing the greatest and most blessed country in the history of mankind – so now is the time for prayer," she said.

The event is not being publicized other than by word of mouth, according to Gordon, and she said that in order to respect the safety of others during the COVID-19 pandemic, they do not plan to congregate in large numbers "but do hope to be mighty in our faithfulness."