On Saturday, October 27, a long-planned coalition peace march took place in San Francisco.

There were parallel marches all over the country, and although two other significant ones took place in Los Angeles and New York, the San Francisco march was by far the largest at 10,000 marchers. This was a coalition of 180 groups, including faith groups, students, labor, women’s groups and many more coming together under one banner only: Stop the war in Iraq.

The Rt. Rev. Marc Handley Andrus decided that the Diocese of California should participate in the San Francisco march, gathering at the Cathedral and marching the short distance to the Civic Center where the masses were gathered. There was an unusual emphasis on including the faith community by the organizers of the march, and a large and moving interfaith service was held at Grace Cathedral on October 25 to further that effort.

The Episcopalians met at Grace Cathedral at 10 a.m. and marched down to the Civic Center on a truly beautiful day, singing all the way. They met an enormous crowd at the rally, which included a huge interfaith group of Buddhists, Quakers, Baptists and many other denominations.

Our own Bishop Marc was one of about ten people who addressed the crowd, and he spoke movingly about the importance of being witnesses to the deaths and injustice in Iraq, as the women by the cross and the beloved disciple had witnessed Jesus’ death. He spoke of the unreliability of the media, and the importance of telling our stories and of giving others a forum for telling theirs. He posed a question to the crowd: How many people know the number of Iraqis killed in the Gulf War? I saw no hands raised. He proposed we use whatever platforms we have to give voice to those not often heard — to learn information so often suppressed — and he mentioned the church as one likely forum.

After he spoke, a burly man approached him and said repeatedly, “Are you the head of the church?” After the bishop clarified who he was, the man said wonderingly, “I’ve seen people who go to church here at these marches, but I have never seen the head of a church here!” The man shook the bishop’s hand. The other speakers were lively, loud and inspiring. Standouts were the always-irrepressible Code Pink, who led the crowd in song, and a wonderful Philipino rapper named Kiwi, who had everyone dancing.

We all marched together to Market Street where everyone lay down on the street for a short, legal, very affecting three-minute die-in — a demonstration of the loss of life we hear so little about. Then we marched on to Dolores Park, remaining with the large faith contingent and singing peace songs led by a Quaker with a megaphone, a great spirit, and a self-described awful voice. Spirits were high throughout the march. As usual, the streets were lined with police and helicopters flew overhead, reminding us again of the realities of war. Ten thousand people witnessed for peace that day, and the witnesses will keep on marching until the war is at an end. Join us.