Mary Alice Rose, a member of the Christian Science Board of Lectureship
Mary Alice Rose, a member of the Christian Science Board of Lectureship, will speak at an event called “A Talk on the Healing Comforter,” on May 9. She said she’ll bring to Baltimoreans the same message that she’s given to survivors of a devastating tornado in Joplin, Mo.and to people who are still working to undo the painful remnants of apartheid in South Africa.
The event was planned as a response to the mass protests that erupted in Baltimore in the wake of Freddie Gray’s death while in police custody. “The idea of this lecture on Saturday is to help bring some spiritual solutions to some of the events that have been occurring in Baltimore,” Rose said.
“What I’m hoping to provide is a voice from the faith community about spiritual solutions to these things. It’s not just about government and laws and civic duty. There’s this whole spiritual angle. How does one make good decisions? What spiritual tools can I use to help me in helping the community live more productively and harmoniously?
Although she did not grow up in Baltimore, Rose worked here for 11 years. She says she still feels great affection for the city and everyone here. She said that during the clashes, she was compelled to pray for everyone.
“I had such compassion for everybody. I’m not a person that rushes to judgement. Frankly, I was just trying to embrace everybody in my prayers. I truly believe everybody is a child of God with equal standing. God does not see race. God sees his beautiful children and wants only the best for them.”
She said while in South Africa, she had the opportunity to learn more about late South African president Nelson Mandela – and that taught her a lot about race, inequality, and forgiveness.
“What I was so impressed by is how he had a transformation in his thinking. He moved from an ‘us’ and ‘them’ kind of paradigm to realizing that the only way to take the country forward is to work together. That was quite striking to me. That was the turning point in his life and what enabled him to be the transformative figure.”
The event will be held 2 p.m. at the First Church of Christ, Scientist. For more information, call 410-366-2851 or visit www.christiansciencebaltimore.org