By Dr. Jason Slattery
Superintendent of Schools and Director of Catholic Education
“I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.”
Jeremiah 29:10-12
Through their anguish and pain, members of the Annunciation community in South Minneapolis continue to demonstrate a deep care for others rooted in Christ that magnifies the flame of Christian hope and shows the true heart of a Catholic school.
Just hours after the shooting, I heard parents, school staff, parish leadership and other community members ask about restarting the school year and getting students back on campus. At first it sounded much like things do when we are in such shock and grief, as if pleading for a return to something that seems normal and routine. As the days passed, it became clear that, despite suffering the unimaginable, this Catholic parish and school had a hope of returning to finish a day and live out a future that someone tried to take from them through violence. Rather than look away from the marks of the tragedy, they leaned into the redemptive crucible of these circumstances in the hope of helping hold together a future for students and families. What a witness!
And this week, aided by prayers, solidarity and grace, something that seemed almost impossible on the afternoon of August 27, Annunciation Catholic School opened its doors for students and families. As they have for over a century, students returned to campus with their dedicated teachers, and alongside so many other supportive community members, are working on a way forward — together.
Their motto for the year, chosen before the start of school, is taken from the Prophet Jeremiah: “to give you a future and a hope.” In the days, weeks and months ahead, please join us in remaining near to the work of Annunciation parish and school through prayers, solidarity, and most of all, through helping others to see how it is that the community is trusting in the Lord and stepping forward in hope. Please persevere.