'Honoring the victims:' Weekend vigils scheduled at MU, in Brookfield after Sri Lanka terror attacks

MILWAUKEE -- Weekend vigils have been scheduled at Marquette University in Milwaukee and at Ridgewood Church in Brookfield to honor the more than 300 people killed on Easter Sunday in terror attacks in Sri Lanka. Dieter Kowalski, a man from Greenfield who was a graduate of the University of Wisconsin -- on business in Sri Lanka -- was among those who lost their lives in the attacks.

A prayer vigil will be held at Marquette University, in the garden outside St. Joan of Arc Chapel on Friday, April 26 at 11:30 a.m. Hosted by Marquette University Campus Ministry, it will serve as an opportunity "for the community to come together in response to the recent deadly bombings in Sri Lanka."

The vigil will precede regular noon Mass, and attendees will pray for peace and mercy in the face of violence -- and honor the victims.

On Saturday evening, April 27, a vigil will be held at Ridgewood Church on Lilly Road near North Avenue in Brookfield.

It's scheduled to take place from 5 p.m. until 6 p.m., and will serve as an opportunity for attendees to "come together as a community to remember those whose lives were lost and pray for the people affected by the terror attacks."

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility and released images that purported to show the attackers.