‘Weeping Jesus’ statue commemorating shooting victims unveiled at St. Sabina Church in Gresham, embodying the commandment ‘Thou shall not kill’.

CHICAGO (WLS) — During the unveiling, Father Michael Pfleger said with the summer months coming, this city needs to be more aggressive in finding solutions to prevent the tragedy that this statue reflects.

Activists and parents of those killed by gun violence hope the new statue, unveiled at St. Sabina Catholic Church, will stop people in their tracks and give them a look at the darkest moments in their lives.

“I pray for any mother not to have to go through this pain it’s a horrible pain,” said Veronica Higgins, who lost her son to gun violence.

They also hope it will make people look more closely at the epidemic of gun violence in Chicago.

“It’s got to be more than shaking our heads. It’s got to be more than just praying. It’s got to be more than just saying how bad things are,” Pfleger said.

The life-sized sculpture is of Jesus weeping over a dead body, with a plaque at the bottom, reading, “‘Thou shall not kill’.” The new statue sits in front a wall of photos of people lost to gun violence.

“All these faces of our children and adults who are up in this are not just people who died. These are people who were murdered,” Pfleger said.

Higgins and Pam Bosley were among the many parents present at Monday’s unveiling.

They held photos of their loved ones lost, hoping this statue does not become another mother’s reality.

“Please, please put the guns down, because it’s not worth it. The hurt that you leave the family is unbearable,” Higgins said. “We’re trying to shine light on the death of our children, that these are our children, and they are human beings, and they should still be here, but they’re not because of gun violence.”