Camden, “a city immersed in poverty,” faced a record-breaking 61 murders this year, executive director of Hope Works Rev. Jeff Putthoff wrote in a recent article published on Our Lady of Good Counsel’s (OLGC) website.
According to Deacon Tom Kolon, the general response to the murder rate is “well, what do you expect? It’s Camden.”
OLGC’s response to the murder rate is to place 61 crosses on the front lawn to help bring awareness to the situation most are unaware of, Kolon said.
Each cross, containing a name and age, represents one victim.
The white, wooden crosses were placed on the lawn the day before Thanksgiving. Kolon said the visual element is more effective over what people see or hear in the news.
“It’s one thing to read something in the paper. It’s something very different to see 61 crosses representing those lost lives,” he said.
The image of the crosses on the lawn “hits you in the gut,” Kolon said.
Working with disadvantaged youth at Hope Works — a non-profit organization non-profit organization in Camden — Putthoff occasionally visits OLGC. He presented the idea to raise awareness in the Moorestown community by placing the crosses on the lawn, Kolon said.
A similar display is set in Camden by the courthouse and at Saint Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia, he said.
“We are trying to make people aware. Unfortunately, there is kind of a laissez faire attitude. For us, it’s 12 miles away,” Kolon said.
The original plan was to move the crosses into the prayer garden, making room for the nativity display. However, the crosses will remain on the lawn until a prayer service is held for the victims and their family members, Kolon said.
“I think it’s very spiritual to have both the nativity and the crosses out at the same time,” Kolon said.
People will celebrate the holidays while the crosses are still up, but Kolon said it’s important for people to celebrate and remember those who are suffering.
“Because it is Christmas time, people are thinking of very joyful things and celebrating. There is celebration, but we also have to realize we have to help others who are suffering,” he said.
After putting up the crosses, a change overnight is not expected. The idea is to create a positive “ripple effect” in the community. Similar ripple effects cause a majority of the youngsters living in Camden to get stuck with “problems of poverty and violence,” Kolon said.
“There is the same ripple affect from the murder of each victim. There is also tremendous ripple effect, a positive ripple effect that you have of touching lives of others,” he said.
