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Mormons in Baltimore are responding to violence in their city with a religious practice they know well — fasting.

A top LDS leader in the Maryland metropolis is calling for his congregations as well as members of other faiths to forgo food and water in a "special fast" Sunday for "peace in our city, and, in particular, for the safety and hope of the youth of Baltimore who are beset by poverty and violence."

Last week, LDS Stake President Michael P. Brady told the Baltimore Interfaith Coalition about the Mormon ritual of members' abstaining from two meals on the first Sunday of every month and then donating funds to help feed the hungry in their area.

Brady invited those faith leaders and their congregations to join the Mormons' tradition of fasting, prayers and donations, he writes on the LDS Facebook page.

"As we join together, we are confident that the Lord will open the windows of heaven for you," the stake president writes, "and for those for whom we are fasting and praying."

Bryndis Roberts, an LDS women's Relief Society president in a diverse Atlanta LDS ward, applauds the move.

"I commend the leaders of the Baltimore Stake," Roberts says in an email, "for their decision to fast and pray for the city."

Roberts also hopes, she says, the Mormon leaders there will "prayerfully consider how the stake can become more involved in addressing some of the economic issues facing the community, including providing expanded access to LDS Employment Services and working to provide affordable housing and day care."

Peggy Fletcher Stack