By Dr. Jason Slattery
Superintendent of Schools and Director of Catholic Education
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
Psalm 34:18
Since shortly after the unimaginable events on August 27 at the Church of the Annunciation in South Minneapolis, together with several colleagues in the Archdiocesan Office for the Mission of Catholic Education, we have been working out of the school site. And while it is true that there is a suffering that is almost too difficult to mention, it is met by heroic examples of virtue and hope.
School children and parishioners were struck down in the parish church while they gathered to worship God. And two beautiful students, Fletcher and Harper, were taken from their families and classmates, while a number of other children and parishioners remain in the hospital with wounds. Every soul under that roof that day was a witness and a victim of a terrible crime against innocents. Let’s continue to pray for all of them as we give them space to grieve and, in time, heal.
In a moment like this, we need moral clarity. The man who committed this ignominious act, who was an instrument of malice and hatred, now faces God’s eternal judgment. It is notable that since the death of Jesus on the Cross, we see the same tragic sequence of sin: Evil strikes at the innocent, and out of the darkness of violence, God, through a powerful grace, brings light and hope into the world anew. And yet, we wish that Fletcher and Harper were still with their families, and the morning was not one of mourning.
Christian hope wells up from Jesus’ own victory over sin and death. We see this victory when ordinary children, women and men going about daily routines suddenly spring up and live out extraordinary acts of charity, kindness and tenderness. This was also part of the scene in South Minneapolis.
If you are going to read stories or hear tales of that terrible morning, please don’t miss the accounts of heroic charity: older children who blanketed younger children, adults who unflinchingly raced into unknown danger to shelter children and the elderly, children who consoled each other with prayers summoned from memory for times of great need, and the heroic first responders who secured the site. And the streams of women, men and children who have made their way to hospital rooms and makeshift memorials to honor those who will not be returning home from school. We beg God for the grace we need to carry on: together.
As we begin this school year, as hard as it may be at the present moment, in solidarity let’s work to build up, protect and secure schools of Christian hope and allow the light of that hope to outshine the violence that was done to our dear ones.
In the weeks ahead there will be space to consider so many of the good things going on in Catholic schools across the Archdiocese, and I am so grateful for the witness of teachers, principals, staff, priests and deacons in their tireless service. Please persevere.