Witness & Prayer in front of
Marquette University bookstore
in the Union today

Each Wednesdays in Lent at a Marquette University facility we gather to pray for an hour for Marquette, To Be Faithful to the Gospel and Stop Teaching War. Four years ago, at the first one Marquette security and the police were called to the library lobby where we stood and told us if we did not leave we would be ticketed and/or arrested for criminal trespass on private property. We told the police to let us know before we were arrested. The police and security consulted with higher powers and decided to just let us pray.

Over the years the security presence at our prayer events has declined to last week when there was no administrator, security or police in sight as we prayed. Today, we prayed for the first time in the new Law building. All was well until the associate dean came down to tell us leave. We politely say no and continued to prayer. When the security guards came the discipline of our prayer group broke down, many were new to this situation of a threat of being ticketed for criminal trespass for praying. So divided we decided as a group to go over to the Union to pray. On the way there we talked about how to act if security or police were called again.

We were praying for awhile when the same security guards came over to ask us to leave. This time just one of us spoke for the group and asked if they were going to call the police. A Milwaukee police officer appeared and we asked if he was going to arrest us for praying. He said he hoped not and asked us to go. We asked him to tell us before he would ticket or arrest us. The police officer and security went to talk it over and consult superiors. After awhile the Milwaukee police officer came back and said they would compromise and allow us to trespass outside the door of the Union still on Marquette property but not inside. We gave everyone a chance to go outside or stay inside. Half went outside the doors and half stayed in the Union. Those inside kept praying the rest of the hour and were not arrested as those outside did. Afterwards we all sang a song outside before departing.

I describe all this to reflect what a distraction to prayer this game was when we left the Law school and what a time of prayer we had when we went to the Union. We were able to pray inside and outside the Union doors and the police and security were the attraction that drew attention to our message. Once again Prayer overcame charges of criminal trespass

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