We have all been saddened to read the news of the past week and we abhor the violence that has been perpetrated on so many innocent people.

The Groton Interfaith Council would like to remind everyone in our community that we should recognize that these acts of hate were conducted by a small group of troubled individuals. Until we learn more from reliable news sources, we should not conclude that they are representative of any group of people.

We also ask our community to remember that violence done in the name of any faith is a misrepresentation of that faith. During these difficult times, we would encourage everyone to stay calm, seek peace, and perform acts of kindness and compassion.

Let us seek to be among the peacemakers and open our hearts especially wide to one another in this time of stress and sorrow. The Groton Interfaith Council is an association of religious organizations and individual community members from the greater Groton area.

The mission of the Groton Interfaith Council is to foster understanding, respect, justice and peace among people of a variety of religious traditions through worship, fellowship, education, and service.

Inspired by our different faiths and our common values, we thus bind ourselves together in association for mutual enrichment and community service and agree to honor the differences among us in theology, polity, worship, and practice.

Together we will seek ways to create more understanding and acceptance of people of diverse religions and cultures.