Monument built in honour of slain youth
The murder of eight year old Marquise Mahler shocked the entire community. The young boy was shot at his family home on Fabers Road on July ninth the following day. Marquise will not make it to school at Saint John Vianney next week; instead today a monument was dedicated to his short life. News Five’s Marion Ali was present for the sad occasion.
Marion Ali, Reporting
This morning the parents and siblings of young Marquise Mahler gathered outside their house, but it was not to celebrate his ninth birthday – instead, it was to dedicate a monument in his memory after his life was cut short by gun violence. Marquise would have turned nine years old today, but on July ninth a gunman who indiscriminately fired a hail of bullets in his neighborhood killed the young primary school student. Today, Father Larry Nicasio of the Catholic Church blessed a new monument that was built in memory of Marquise. Inspiration for the memorial came from Belizeans for Justice Movement, a non-government group that has taken the front line in the fight against violence.
Oscar Rosado, Belizeans for Justice Movement
oscar rosado
“Delia came to me one day when I visited her here and she said to me could you get this house blessed, I don’t feel safe, my other children are here and I told her sure and I was doing a prayer at Divine Mercy Church on the Northern Highway and I spoke to Fr James Blunk there and he told me he was going to come in and do the blessing of the house and one week later he came back to me and said Oscar you know what, there was an apparition of the virgin Mary to me and he didn’t really explain how it came. He said when we go to bless that house I would really love for you to get a statue of the virgin.”
Oscar Rosado, who is a member of Belizeans for Justice, shared the news with the other members and together they fundraised and with the help of a couple PUP parliamentarians, paid for the construction of the memorial. The fixture is located just feet away from where little Marquise was gunned down. While the gift was welcomed by his parents, they still grieve over his senseless killing.
delia lewis
Delia Lewis, mother of Marquise Mahler
“I hope out of it something comes out of it good. He was my right hand and they just took him away from me and it’s very hard. Everyday, every single day it’s very, very hard. Not a second yoh noh think about him.”
Theodore Mahler, Father of Marquise Mahler
“I wah tek dis as wah special time and wah time fi try ask fi prayer and try fi live life to the fullest.”
The Belizeans for Justice, is made up primarily by families of murdered Belizeans. They use prayer as the pillar of their mission to reduce crime.
Oscar Rosado
“We’re not only fighting the other causes, but we have to fight with the power of prayer. That’s the only thing that will work in this community and I have faith that it will continue.”
The statue and crucifix were donated by people who want to remain anonymous. Marion Ali for News Five.
Also in attendance at this morning’s dedication were Yolanda Schakron and Joan Sutherland, whose loved ones were also truck down by gun violence.
that’s a nice movement coming up with a brilliant idea, one thing caught me is that prayer is the pillar and i’m glad to hear that, hoping that other ngo join this group to fight against crime not phsycal but in ways to break that attitude of violence.
Is this monument built under a house?
prayer ? although that is not my idea of an immediate plan to stop the violence, any plan right now is good for me.
gob bless.
mad/SURREALIST………….. Have you heard that PRAYERS CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS?????
A LITTLE FAITH IN GOD………. goes a long way!!!!!!
(2) Commandment.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images, or any likness of any thing that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the father upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me: and shewing mercy unto the thousand of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Where is Christ? ans: in Heaven (above)
Where is the virgin Mary ans : in the grave ( underneat the earth)
a statue won’t help us we need to get ur lives rite with Christ he’s the only one that can save us. the signs are there he’s even @ the door.
God can do anything but fail so its great how the statue is at the scene of the crime. Jessica its a good no need to be pulling out commandments we are have our bible they are not doing anything wrong by having a statue of the virgin mary there its not like they are worhshipping it, its just a representation.
DM: God never fali’sl a representation of what ………………he said keep my commandments and that is 1 of them. Have faith in God not the virgin Mary cause she dead n gone she can’t help nobody…..
hya ha ha ha ha that is very funny mary is jesus mother her spirit lives on
where in the Bible does it say that ………………
Roman Catholics are bound to be offended by this…………..
NOTING EXIST IN SUCH…PEOPLE ARE BRAIN WASH AND PROGRAM LIKE A ROBOT,WHAT CAN A STATUE DO?
Jessica ……… God can used anything he wants to draw people to him, if a cement statue of a lady reminds someone of Jesus mother then maybe it will turn them to Jesus, if someone sees a bible it reminds them of God, maybe it will let them read……. so don’t use the commandment for a correction of sort, you will drive people away from what God is trying to do……