'There aren't words': Gannon holds prayer service for colleague killed in Bahamas shark attack
Gannon faculty and students gathered Wednesday afternoon for a prayer service to make sense of the senseless.
The Rev. Thomas S. Mathew, associate vice president for university mission and ministry at Gannon, addressed nearly 100 people who came to honor Caroline DiPlacido, a longtime Gannon employee who was killed in a shark attack on Tuesday while on vacation in the Bahamas.
DiPlacido's passing seemed to "strain the limits of what is real," he said.
"This is the stuff of legend," he continued. "The type of thing we might acknowledge in theory or read in the occasional headline, but not the type of thing we imagine might ever actually happen to one of us, and yet, here we are.
"Why should a light as bright as Caroline's that brightened the lives of all of us who knew her ... be snuffed out so tragically soon? The answer to the 'why' question remains perhaps, elusive. And for that I haven't the words."
Words from Gannon's president
DiPlacido, a Millcreek Township resident, was a project coordinator in community and government relations at Gannon, according to the university. She graduated from Gannon in 1986 and was hired at the university in July 2009 as a secretary in marketing and communications.
A single photo of DiPlacido, 58, sat on a table at the front of the room next to a vase full of flower petals and a burning candle.
Previous coverage:Employee at Erie's Gannon University killed in shark attack while snorkeling in Bahamas
Gannon University President Keith Taylor began the 20-minute service by recognizing all those who attended.
"It is good that we gather together," he said. "When we come together as one we are always at our best here at Gannon. Thank you for being here, thank you for the love that you've shown Caroline, thank you for acknowledging, by your presence here, the incredible love that Caroline showed for all of you and all of us."
Taylor said the Gannon community will continue to work its way through the "incredible tragedy" before sharing his final thoughts about DiPlacido.
"There aren't words that I can share other than the incredible human being that I will never forget, and one we will continue to remember with intention," he said.
Remembering a bright light
Mathew's portion of the service included a reading from the Gospel of John.
Mathew also led attendees in the Lord's Prayer and continued with several other prayers before speaking of Gannon's perseverance to end the service.
"We are Gannon," Mathew said. "Our shared memory tells us that we have done it (overcome the worst) before and by the grace and mercy of God, we will do it again, together. Caroline was always one who made me feel a little bit better about what was happening and that is now what we have to do for each other."
Underwater threat:What lies beneath coastal waters? Beware of sharks swimming closer to shore
Following the brief service in the Waldron Campus Center, attendees shared hugs and stories about Diplacido while tissue boxes were passed around.
Taylor said Gannon plans to hold a full service honoring DiPlacido at a future date.
Details of the attack
The Bahamas police were alerted shortly before 3 p.m. on Tuesday that the attack happened near Green Cay in the northern Bahamas, according to a police statement.
According to the police statement, DiPlacido was attacked when she was on a tour with four family members, snorkeling in the waters northwest of Rose Island.
The family members tried unsuccessfully to rescue DiPlacido, who suffered "serious injuries to the left side of her body," according to the statement.
The police said her family had arrived in the Bahamas shortly before 7 a.m. on Tuesday after getting off a cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean International said in a statement to the AP that DiPlacido died after arriving at a local hospital for treatment and that the company is helping their loved ones. They said she was participating in an independent shore excursion in Nassau and had been sailing on Harmony of the Seas, which is on a seven-night trip after departing Florida on Sunday.
Baylee DeMuth can be reached at 814-450-3425 or bdemuth@timesnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @BayleeDeMuth.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Gannon holds service for employee killed in Bahamas shark attack
