A 2nd suicide inside Crystal Cathedral Garden Grove California

[Avitech]

Another man committed suicide this past WED in the Crystal Cathedral. Steve Smick 48 year old male. On 2/18/2009 he knelt down before the cross and shot himself in the head with a pistol that he stole from his friend. The weapon discharged at 9:40 in the morning in front of Canadian tourists who were there at the time just looking around.

There was a prior suicide in the Cathedral basement in 2004.

Please pray for the family, friends and relatives. And please, just pray. I can not understand how this could happen in such a sacred/holy place of worship.

[henrykzaleski]

Originally Posted by Avitech

Another man committed suicide this past WED in the Crystal Cathedral. Steve Smick 48 year old male. On 2/18/2009 he knelt down before the cross and shot himself in the head with a pistol that he stole from his friend. The weapon discharged at 9:40 in the morning in front of Canadian tourists who were there at the time just looking around.

There was a prior suicide in the Cathedral basement in 2004.

Please pray for the family, friends and relatives. And please, just pray. I can not understand how this could happen in such a sacred/holy place of worship.

Sadness it seems reaches out again. I am praying for Steve and his soul,may God show mercy. May Jesus comfort the family and friends and ease the terrible pain.In His holy name I humbly ask,amen.

[InlovewithJesus]

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/p...g-call-2311871. On this page you can find a video about. Volunteers have interviewed. Terrible? InlovewithJesus

[Wilde]

In this transitory period where the church is attempting to define the hopeful and possible horizons of its future ahead, another shadow blankets the compound by the recent death of one person called Steve. The media will or already has descended like a wolf among the fold armed with chariots of cameras and microphones to try and analyze every aspect of the community's reaction to the tragedy trying to understand how a kneeling man before the cross commits suicide in broad daylight.

A tragic event of such caliber induces thoughts in me that we need the church more than ever especially in matters of life and death; one of the team that shall minister to the deceased's family at the hospital or at home will be the chaplain. When the community of relatives and friends are trying to absorb the shock, it will be the minister or representative clergy with town officials if possible who will lead the vigil to support the family in their grief as they prepare the funeral. It shall be the clergy that will give voice to the grief shared by many.

All these must not give way to a debate on the prominence of a town's church. Whether viewed as disestablished inwardly drawn in itself with its own affairs or indispensable for the citizens and parishioners, there nonetheless must be clergy and/or clerical ministries involved in every aspect of the circle centering the deceased person. More than ever is the love of God needed to be displayed in this tragedy by its earthly ministers. It will be totally wrong a time to be excusing or accusing the church, no, but rather a right time to be praying for each other and praying to God who watches all of us.

Wilde

[Lauranne]

Hello,
My concern lies with the "witnesses" of the act. The people who were in the area at the time of the suicide need counseling. (I witnessed a man with a gun before he shot himself. I was about 12 at the time. My father and I were driving down the street and we saw a man standing in his front yard with a gun. We went home and called the police...but between the drive to the house and dialing the police, we heard a gunshot. The neighborhood man, a man known by everyone in town because of his delivery business, shot himself on the front lawn...his family was in the backyard at an Easter picnic.
"Why didn't we do something like stop or honk (really bad idea) to stop him?"
After all, this was our neighbor with a gun in his hand. Well this incident bothered me for years, and as I grew up I couldn't shake the thought of being "helpless". Finally I saw a movie about a false guilt complex and how the maturing witness wrangled with the "feeling helpless" childhood memory.
I was an innocent bystander, (and so was my father). We tried to get help...
I doubt the victim even thought about the neighbors.
So for all the people in area who heard or saw the incident, it wasn't your fault. My father said getting help was the safest thing we could have done.

[Lauranne]

Just an afterthought for people who feel hopeless...here's a great video by Billy Joel called a Second Wind.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbuU1OtaX4g

[Sheiba]

This is such sad news, no matter where it happened. I feel for the person who committed suicide. I feel for his pain and the state of mind that he may have been in at the time he decided to end his life.

And for all those witnesses, I know, that sometimes, even the counseling may take a while to get the reality that there was nothing anyone could have done.

My thoughts and prayers are with you.

[SisterMom]

This is a very heart breaking thing to happen...I really have no words but I ask our Father to comfort all that were at the church and this mans family and friends...

[Sweetvirgo]

How sad it is when someone is so desperate that they believe suicide to be the only solution to their problems. How even more sad that this was the only solution Steve believed in while kneeling at the Cross. We will never know the internal struggle he was dealing with in the moment but God was there.

[Sheiba]

That is problem with depression. Person who is severely depressed, and has not been diagnozed or does not get the help on time, could be lead to commit suicide. For that person, the problem does not have any silver lining, and will not be able to see through unless medication is taken.

People face problems, and hit the rock bottom, or melt downs, but they hang in there and perhaps can one day when good times come, can look back and say, I was there!

But for a person who is depressed, it is not the same. At that moment, nothing would have mattered.

[Johnv]

Let's not step into speculation. There's nothing so far to suspect that the suicide victim sufferred from clinical depression, disgnosed or otherwise.

That said, it's important for a person who might be clinically depressed to consult a physician and follow the prescribed treatment. As for those who experience depression not of a clinical nature, it's important for those people to recognize their feelings, and take the steps in their lives to combat the situations that are causing those feelings to occur.

[Sheiba]

Originally Posted by Johnv

Let's not step into speculation. There's nothing so far to suspect that the suicide victim sufferred from clinical depression, disgnosed or otherwise.

One of the reasons why a person may commit suicide is due to depression. Or the other instance is when the person is faced with circumstances beyond him. We don't know if this person had depression, because no one seem to know about this person other than the name!

Most people may not realize that they are clinically or otherwise depressed, and sometimes may not really take the initiative to see a physician.

I think we need to be more sensitive towards people and their needs here.