NE Nashville News

A new religious-based movement that is starting to gain traction across the country is holding an event next month in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, and the organizer told the NE Nashville News she hopes the event will bring positivity and hope to the community.

Candace Gilligan, organizer of the Unite Our Nation event in Mount Juliet, said in a phone interview with NE Nashville News the aim is to bring people together peacefully in a non-political way.

"Unite Our Nation is a sort of grassroots organic movement that came together in Wisconsin about six or seven weeks ago and decided to bring people together in a nonpolitical, prayerful way to come together peacefully," Gilligan said.

The Wisconsin event in Madison attracted a crowd of approximately 3,000 who walked through the damaged buildings in Madison and then all stopped to pray, the Wisconsin Catholic Tribune reported.

Since that event, many more have been planned across the country including in North East Nashville. The Mount Juliet event is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10 at 9 a.m. at St. Steven's Catholic Church.

Gilligan said that she and a small group from the church are organizing it.

"There is no political element to it ... we advise people not to wear political clothing," Gilligan said. "The theme is to come together, pray, sing patriotic songs and pray the Catholic rosary."

Gilligan said she became part of the Unite Our Nation movement to bring peace and hope during these tumultuous times.

"I think for us, we wanted people to feel uplifted and a sense of community, especially with COVID-19," Gilligan said. "I was just feeling so sad; everyone was so polarized." 

She said with the political environment and the pandemic, she thought it was difficult to have a real discussion.

"If you can just bring people together with peace and caring for their country and bring harmony among people," Gilligan said. "We are all part of the United States of America – one country," she said.

She added she would like to "bring hope to our little community here" and she said she hopes the event will give "people something positive despite what they see on the news or on social media."

Gilligan said despite people's differences, "there is a greater commonality."

"People can have differences," she said. "We are all neighbors and we're expected to love our neighbors, whatever our differences. The Unite Our Nation event is a "way for Catholics to reach out to people for the common good."  

"Most people believe the principles of our country and why can't we come together in patriotism and song," Gilligan said. "It will have an element of patriotism but it doesn't mean people don't have different opinions."

Gilligan said she is not sure how many will be attending the event, but it can accommodate between 400 to 500.