In response to yesterday’s mass murder in Newtown, Conn., a silent vigil is being organized by a member of the Santa Barbara Religious Society of Friends. The public is invited to gather at 3 p.m. Saturday at De la Guerra Plaza in front of City Hall.

The following invitation is being circulated by the Coalition Against Gun Violence and others:

Dear Friends,

(This afternoon) we, as a community, come together to mourn the 20 children and six adults who died Friday morning in Newtown, Conn., at the hands of a disturbed, angry young man. We pray for their families and hold them in our heart, as we pray for the young man and his family.

And we gather to say NO to violence, in any form. We believe that this society we live in can do far better than what it is doing now. We believe that the violent path we are on since the creation of this nation must take a different turn. We believe a peaceful society is possible.

May we all be blessed with a lighter soul and may we never forget the ones we lost Friday.

Let’s gather at 3 p.m. Saturday, and please tell as many friends as you can.

Bring a candle.

— Geoff Green is executive director of The Fund for Santa Barbara.