Written for the SEIU Healthcare Prayer Vigil on January 31, 2026 at the Fred Rogers Memorial on the North Shore
Hello neighbors. If there was ever a place to greet one another that way, it is here, in front of Mr. Rogers, the person who taught us that neighbors are all around us. For Mr. Rogers, a neighbor is any person you meet on any given day. Neighbor is so much more than simply someone you cross paths with, neighbor is a moral term. When Mr. Rogers asked us to be his neighbor, he said, “I’ve always wanted to have a neighbor just like you. I’ve always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.” When he said this, we felt special, valued, and wanted. In Mr. Roger’s neighborhood, every person is worthy of dignity and love. Every neighbor is unique, each of us is allowed to show up exactly as we are, with gifts and talents, and with needs and fears. Together, we are co-creating a beautiful world.
Sometimes the world isn’t beautiful. I think this ugliness comes from forgetting that we are neighbors. There is a story in my faith tradition about a time when someone asked Jesus, “who is my neighbor?” And like any rabbi or pastor or faith leader I know, Jesus answered that question with a long story and more questions. I will try to be brief. The story he told involved a man who was robbed and beaten and left lying beside the road. Jesus described how people pretended not to see the man. Someone saw him but crossed the street to avoid him. But finally, someone came along and helped the man, bandaged his wounds, and took him to a place where someone could take care of him until he was well. And after Jesus finished the story he asked, who was this man’s neighbor? And the answer is, the one who showed him mercy, the one who helped. Mr. Rogers knew this story, and I think it’s the reason he told us to look for the helpers. As children, looking for the helpers gave us hope, hope that when it really mattered our neighbors would take care of us. As adults, we have become the helpers, the neighbors who do the right thing, who help when someone needs help. We do not ask which neighborhood they belong to, because we know the truth is there is only one neighborhood.
Alex Pretti was a professional nurse, a helper, and a good neighbor. His murder is shocking because we know he was there to help. We know that nurses and healthcare professionals will step in to help a neighbor who is hurt and scared. We also know that nurses and healthcare professionals are being treated badly. And I want to give you just one more wisdom teaching from Mr. Rogers, which is, if it’s mentionable it is manageable. He was talking to kids having big feelings and advising them to find a safe adult to help them manage the feelings and problems. And what I will advise you is to keep gathering with your friends and neighbors to create safe spaces where you can care for each other and receive care. Check in with yourself and with your support system often. Gather as a union and together create a work environment that supports you and your patients. Together, we are co-creating a beautiful neighborhood. And I’m so glad I have neighbors just like you.
Neighbors, will you join me in a posture of prayer or meditation or silent reflection that supports you in this moment. Take this moment to remember the people who taught us how to be good neighbors and who inspired us to be helpers. (pause) And may we gather from those memories the love and support we need to continue our work. Amen.
Period Pastor Pad 