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They wanted to honor the lives of eight people – including four sisters – who died in the devastating limousine crash last weekend.
"Nobody cared about the cold weather," said Christopher Carpenter, a resident who attended the meeting and who knew one of the victims, Abigail Jackson. "The wind was blowing, it was cloudy and everyone stayed in this queue to cross the church."
Upon arrival, participants offered their condolences to the families of Abigail and Adam Jackson, Mary and Robert Dyson, Amy and Axel Steenburg, Allison King and Richard Steenburg. And the families greeted everyone who came in, said Carpenter.
"It was almost like the family was taking care of us," he said, "and we were taking care of them."
"Everyone knew them"
The city is densely populated, said Carpenter, and it seems that almost everyone had a personal connection with a deceased person.
Residents who spoke to CNN described a collective sense of grief for those killed, but also a collective determination to raise their families.
"I think what's so overwhelming and that brings everyone together is that everyone in the city knows each other," said Reverend Jeffrey L'Arche of the St. Roman Catholic Church. Mary's, where three of this weekend's services – for Patrick Cushing and the newlyweds Shane and Erin McGowan – were to take place.
Last weekend, the welded group of friends went to the brewery for a party at a brewery. Their long limousine crossed a traffic sign and collided with an SUV parked at Schoharie. The 18 people inside the vehicle, including the driver, were killed. So were two pedestrians.
It was the most deadly transport accident in the United States for nearly a decade.
But for the people of Amsterdam, the tragedy is that the dead were their neighbors, their families and their friends. They were young parents, married, brothers and sisters, a teacher, an athlete and a future law student.
"Everyone has a story about these people," said L'Arche, "because everyone knew them."
He told CNN that he had come to know the McGowans before celebrating their wedding in June.
"They were a lovely couple," he told CNN, adding that they "were very in love with each other."
"They lived their vows saying that they would do it in this church three months ago -" until death separates us ".
A & quot; wave of light & # 39; who is spreading
Last Monday, two days after the accident, people gathered on a catwalk for a candlelight vigil organized by Carpenter and many others. Local restaurants provided food, while the American Red Cross distributed hot drinks and blankets. Local funeral homes donated thousands of candles.
Carpenter is said to be impressed by all the cooperation and willingness to help. So many people offered their help in one way or another that he was not able to call everyone back.
"It was not just" What can I do? ", Said Carpenter," but: "How much can I still give? "
At the vigil, the community heard from local officials and a pastor. As a singer sang "Amazing Grace," Carpenter watched as a "wave of light" spread through the crowd as people in mourning lit candles one after the other.
"It was impressive to see the love, compassion and understanding of every resident who was there," he said. "I cried."
"One could feel in the air that there was a kind of solidarity, sympathy and empathy that I've rarely experienced in this sort of thing," said L'Arche. "I think it was a kind of shared grief."
This shared sorrow has manifested itself in many ways throughout the Amsterdam region over the past week.
Diane Madej, coordinator of Faith Formation, a Catholic education program in Amsterdam, described a "training effect" felt even by people like her who did not personally know the victims.
"The impact is huge," said Madej. She recounted how a women's swimming team from Amsterdam had been greeted at a meeting by biscuits and how opponents of a volleyball team had given them carnations and had observed a moment of silence "in solidarity" with them.
Students at St. Mary's Institute, a Catholic school, have placed 20 candles on the altar of their chapel to honor each victim, Madej said.
There was a moment of silence. The flags flew halfway through the staff. Some people wore shirts with the words "Amsterdam Strong". At half-time, the niece of Adam was honored with her jersey bearing the number 58, according to WRGB.
Madej said that she had reminded students of her program and their families to rely on their faith and pray for the victims and their loved ones. But many, she says, just need to talk and verbalize their grief or anger.
"You are frustrated because you feel that you can not do anything else," she said. "But we can always pray."
& # 39; Things are not the same now & # 39;
Amsterdam is working through her pain. And the community recognizes that she has a role to play in supporting broken-hearted families.
"It will not end after the funeral this weekend," said Madej. "We need to help these families move forward, find a way to overcome this."
The Ark said that one of the most difficult periods after death occurs after the end of the funeral and the return of people to the home, leaving the survivors alone.
"It can be a very lonely time," he said, "because there was a lot of attention, and suddenly we are here sitting in a house by ourselves now. is really there for many people to get up on them: things are not the same now. "
L'Arche has emphasized the importance of being present and available to families – both for himself as a member of the clergy, but also for the locals. Amsterdam who could know them.
"I'm just thinking about presence – your presence is important," he said. "You do not have to say much, in fact, the less you say, the better."
Carpenter said he was convinced that Amsterdam would do everything possible to support families in the mourning process. "We all think you have to take care of your neighbor," and treat everyone with kindness and care. "
But he also stressed the strength and resilience of the families, which, he said, were exhibited at Friday night's rally in Saint-Stanislas.
"You could see the pain on their faces, obviously," he said. "But I bet the families stayed there for five to six hours, just to make sure the people who came into this church knew that (the family) cared about their visit to this church."
"We all wanted to show the families of the victims that, no matter what, we love their children," Carpenter added. "We have love in our hearts for them and we will do everything in our power to ensure that they are commemorated and honored for the rest of their lives."
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