“Right now, we weep.”

That’s the message Paul Hard, an associate professor from Auburn University of Montgomery, shared with the nearly three dozen people who attended a vigil Tuesday in honor of the victims of the Orlando nightclub massacre.

“We know that joy comes in the morning,” Hard said. “But weeping lasts the night. Right now, we weep.”

Troy University Safe Zone for All Initiative sponsored the vigil at Sorrell Chapel. Speakers focused on the 49 men and women who died in the shooting and the nearly 50 who were injured.

“I’m a bisexual man. I have been all my life,” said Troy University Professor Dr. Patrick Faircloth. “As such, this attack felt very close to me. I am a father, a son, a husband, a veteran, an American. But above all, I’m a human being; we’re all human beings. Many faith believers like myself will kneel in response to this tragedy, but we must also stand against oppression and terrorism.”

Then Rev. Elizabeth O’Neill of Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Montgomery took the podium, reminding those gathered that “sometimes violence is unleashed on the world.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s not supposed to be this way,” she said. O’Neill read from the beatitudes of Matthew 5:1-12, explaining to those in attendance that she felt moved to share the passage at the vigil.

“These verses tell me that there’s another way to walk in this world than the violence and abuse and the hatred,” she said.

Paul Hard came back to the altar to deliver the final address.

“Is there anyone here from the Old South who pulls over at the curbside and turns their lights on for a funeral procession? Do you check what the skin color of the person in the hearse is? Do you ask what synagogue, church, or mosque they went to? Do you ask about their sexual orientation? Or do you just pull to the curb and honor that a life has been lost? That’s what we should do,” he said.

A table bearing 49 candles sat in front of the podium, honoring the victims who lost their lives in that nightclub Sunday. Between speakers, soft interludes played as the victims names were read.