Community Vigil for Victor Perez

Community Vigil for Victor Perez

April 4, 2026

By: Pastor Mike Conner

 Opening Prayer

A reading from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Let us pray:

Loving Creator, we gather in your presence today trusting that you are always ready to receive us just as we are. As we hold vigil on this sacred ground—ground marked by love and loyalty, bullets and blood—we remember your cherished child, Victor Perez. We seek to honor Victor and those who love him through our presence, our stories, and our tears. We rest in your words of blessing, knowing that even in our grief and poverty of spirit, you are at work in us.

During this hour, may you comfort our hearts and keep the memory of Victor clear and alive in us, so that all that we think and feel may be purified and made useful by love. Help us to renew our commitment to the pursuit of justice and peace—for Victor and his family, throughout the City of Pocatello, and in all of life.

We continue to lament that Victor’s life was taken from us so quickly, so needlessly, and so brutally. For many it has been a long year of sorrow, frustration, and unsatisfying answers. Thank you for sharing our grief, outrage, and pain. Thank you, too, for embracing Victor’s spirit in the light and peace of your eternal presence.

Though you have created us through love and for love, we confess that we often fail to honor the inherent dignity of our neighbors. We are driven by the fear of what we don’t understand and the anger that clouds our judgments. We struggle to address our cultural addiction to violence and to fully acknowledge the harm perpetrated by our practices of policing.

Lead us into your truth, and bless those who are working for accountability and change on behalf of Victor and his family. Give all of us good work to do—the work of building real relationships with those in our neighborhoods, the work of advocating for policies and practices that minimize harm. Guide us onto your path of forgiveness, humility, and renewal.

We ask that your great mercy will have the final word in this story. And may our efforts in love be one way that we carry Victor forward into our shared future.

Lord, in you mercy, hear our prayer.

Amen.