A warm evening in Minneapolis witnessed an unusual scene on Wednesday, as a queue of people formed outside the gymnasium of the Roman Catholic Academy of Holy Angels. A large crowd was waiting in line to get into the already bustling auditorium. Earlier that day, a tragic incident had occurred barely two miles from this location; a lone attacker had fired through the stained glass windows of Annunciation Catholic Church during the morning service. The assailant took the lives of two students at the congregation’s school.
In the devastating incident, an additional fourteen children and three senior-citizens became victims of non-fatal injuries. Eventually, the perpetrator turned the handgun on himself, ending his life behind the premises of the church. At a hastily convened prayer service that took place on Wednesday evening, the leaders of the church and school stated their resolve that such heinous act shall not win.
Annunciation’s educational institution, which comprises about 400 primary and middle grades, serves to prepare students for the Roman Catholic Academy of Holy Angels (AHA) high school. It was the high school administration that organized Wednesday’s solemn service. The high school has a current enrollment of 635 students, 80 of whom previously attended Annunciation.
During Wednesday evening, prayer gatherings were also conducted at various other churches of different denominations across Twin Cities. Moreover, private groups held sessions of homage remembering the victims, including a candlelit vigil. The impact of the tragedy in both Annunciation church and AHA is deeply personal, adding an intensity to the sorrow that is difficult to convey.
Putting into words the raw emotions that such an incident evokes, Linnea Ziegler, a 16-year-old sophomore at AHA and ex-student of Annunciation, expressed disbelief at seeing her former school become a tragic headline. She was also the manager of the high school’s varsity volleyball team. Wearing a black sweatshirt with the word ‘Annunciation’ printed on it, she confessed how surreal it felt to recognize those familiar surroundings on the news.
Ziegler related her vivid memories of sitting in those same pews and attending lessons in the church-school premises. The familiarity extended to the uniforms they wore, and even deeper into the community, citing familiar faces at the local Starbucks, some of whom may have been amongst the victims. She declared how the close-knit community’s collective strength and the act of praying together were instrumental in finding some emotional solace.
Wednesday’s evening service saw attendance by around 3,000 people. This crowd was composed not only of students, parents, faculty, and churchgoers but also incorporated other community members. Other attendees included residents from the neighboring areas, individuals belonging to Protestant churches, Jewish followers identifiable by their yarmulkes, Muslims, and local lawmakers.
Distinguished attendees included Governor Tim Walz, Senator Amy Klobuchar, and Attorney General Keith Ellison, who were seated in the front row. The mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, missing from the gathering, had, post the traumatic event, revived calls for stricter gun control, expressing sentiments opposing the focus solely on ‘thoughts and prayers’.
Despite the magnitude of the tragedy, the evening service was marked by an aura of solemnity rather than despair. Scenes of embrace were seen throughout the congregation, parents hugging each other, often through tears. Teenagers sought solace in each other’s company; families held their young ones a bit closer. As the seating area reached its capacity, people began assembling in the standing space for the 50-minute service led by the Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Bernard Hebda.
The archbishop assured the congregation, despite the day’s horrendous events, that God’s love extends to all, even to the perpetrator. As subsequent investigations revealed, the person behind this frightful act was a 23-year-old named Robin Westman, a former student of Annunciation, who had undergone a legal name change previously.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has designated the incident as ‘an act of terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics’. The officers are now scrutinizing a manifesto and journals penned by Westman, detailing the premeditated assault, which were found on his YouTube channel. His mother, Mary Grace, who had retired as a parish secretary for the Annunciation in 2021, had facilitated Westman’s name change in 2020. Confirmation of Westman’s transgender identity was provided by federal officers.
The prayer service on Wednesday featured responsorial Psalms mourning the tragedy, with a central theme focusing on Christ, the promise of resurrection, trust in Jesus, and spreading love in the face of adversity. The annunciation narrative from the book of Luke was read by one church leader, while another led prayers of intercession. Among those leading these observances was a priest who himself had been a student at Annunciation.
The reflection on the teachings of Christ, the resurrection, the importance of trust in Jesus, and the need to demonstrate love and compassion were reinforced during the service. A theology teacher from AHA assisted attendees in finding their seats and offered comfort through warm embracive greetings.
The teacher mentioned that students were yet to ask the ‘why’ of the situation, indicating that the shock was still settling. He added that when, inevitably, these questions arise, the answer would be a reminder of the imminent goodness of God. Although the entirety of the situation and mystery surrounding the incident might never be fully understood, he urged the students to place their trust in God, asserting that evil would never triumph.
The post Catholic Community Mourns in Wake of Terrible Tragedy appeared first on Real News Now.
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