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Dozens of community members gathered on a chilly Tuesday evening on the common. As the candlelight flickered on in the dark evening, a moment of silence was held to celebrate the recovery of people in the community and to remember those who have passed but are not forgotten.
It was the start of the first Recovery & Remembrance Candlelight Vigil, but certainly not the last. The event was put together by the Winchester Coalition for a Safer Community, an organization that partners with local institutions to promote education, prevention, and wellness.
“Each candle we light is more than a symbol. It is a reminder that every life has value, that every person’s story matters, and that our work is far from over,” said Dot Butler, community health program manager.
“As you view the story walk, we see firsthand the faces behind the statistics,” she explained. “This crisis does not discriminate by age, by background, or by neighborhood. It is not a moral failing. It is a public health emergency, deeply connected to mental health, trauma, and systemic barriers to care. Tonight is about remembrance and recovery. But it is also about hope.”
According to the Mystic Valley Public Health Coalition, a total of 735 lives were lost to substance abuse, 19 in Winchester, and 171 lives lost to suicide, five from Winchester.
“These challenges exist in our own community,” said Barrie Brian, a lifelong Winchester resident, celebrating 34 years of sobriety and a recovery coach here in town. “I often felt very alone when I first discovered what was happening, because Winchester, like many towns, would prefer to believe that we don’t have these problems here. But we do. It’s here, and there is help.
Winchester residents and vigil attendees check out the placards set up at the town common during the Recovery & Remembrance Candlelight Vigil on Sept. 30. WINCHESTER NEWS STAFF PHOTOS/RICHARD HOWARD
“Silence is the worst part,” continued Brian. “It keeps people from admitting there’s a problem and from asking for help. I call it a public secret. Everyone can see what’s going on, but nobody will talk about it.”
The Rev. Nick Myers, rector at the Parish of the Epiphany, reminded the community that, “Stigma and shame are just as powerful as addiction itself. In our community, we like to say that we don’t do shame. The shame has no place in our life together.”
Margaret Walsh, mother of a son who struggled and died from substance abuse, told their story. Her son Robbie died in 2019 at just 19 years old after years of struggling with addiction.
“Say their name” she said. “Ask me about him. Let me tell you all about my beautiful child. I have no more memories after he passed, and I want to talk about him.”
Another mother, Michelle Mafera, read a poem together with Walsh in the memory of their children and all of the others who lost their lives or those who are still fighting.
“You were never defined by your struggle,” she read. “You were sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, friends, neighbors, and dreamers… You are gone from our sight, but never from our love. You are remembered, you are cherished, and you will never be forgotten.”
There is always hope, and recovery is always possible.
As Butler reminded the crowd, “Tonight we stand together in memory of those we have lost, in support of those still fighting, and in commitment to a future where fewer candles are lit in sorrow, and more are lit in celebration.”
State officials, advocates and residents gather at the town common to remember those who have died from substance abuse and support those in recovery. WINCHESTER NEWS STAFF PHOTOS/RICHARD HOWARD
Myers echoed that sentiment.
“And now, friends, life is short. We do not have much time to gladden the hearts of those who walk this way with us,” he said. “So be quick to love. And make haste to be kind. And may we remember, that love is greater and shame, that hope is greater than fear. And the way that we care and connect with one another is greater than the despair that we all know.”
At the State House, Rep. Mike Day and others have been able to secure hundreds of millions of dollars to support those struggling with mental health, substance abuse and other problems.
“Because of the ideas that come out of this coalition, we’ve been able to devote $187 million this year to behavioral health recovery services,” he proudly announced. “We’ve required insurance to cover annual wellness checks. We’ve decriminalized addiction and treat it now as it should be treated, as an illness. And that’s thanks to the work that you’re all doing here. You’ve got a partner in me in the State House, and I treasure your partnership here in Winchester.”
