Annunciation Church holds first Mass since deadly shooting
The Annunciation Catholic Church held its first Mass since a deadly shooting on Wednesday took the lives of two children and injured at least 17 others.
The two children who died in the shooting were identified as 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski.
RELATED: Families identify 2 children killed in Annunciation Church shooting
As of Saturday, eight survivors remain in the hospital — one at Children’s, one at North Memorial and one adult and five kids at HCMC.
The church community gathered for a Mass at 5 p.m. on Saturday at the Annunciation Catholic School auditorium and plans to hold another Mass at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday at the same location.
“This is my parish, so it’s just heartbreaking,” said Connie Hanson.
Hope, healing and heartbreak were seen outside Annunciation Catholic Church on Saturday afternoon.
“It’s something I will never be able to unsee, but in addition to the sorrow and terror, we know that Jesus was there with us,” said Fr. Dennis Zehren at Annunciation Catholic Church.
Fr. Zehren was presiding over the Wednesday service when the gunfire began.
When asked if he rushed toward where the bullets were coming from, Fr. Zehren responded, “Yes, my instinct … if I could’ve gotten between those bullets and the kids. I was hoping to do it.”
He says other priests also tried to take action against the gunman.
“You might have heard the doors were barred, shots on the outside by the gunman,” Fr. Zehren said. “We tried to get out. I think some of the fathers would have gone out there and gang-rushed him if they could have.”
Inside the Saturday night Mass, there was a message of faith and hope.
Church leaders say parishioners have been ‘eagerly restless’ to come together.
“We’re hoping in this familiar context that it will be a source of healing not just for those directly involved, but for the community at large, that we know is suffering,” said Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
During the Mass was a Homily of healing and togetherness.
“You always want to have a sermon about hope,” Hanson said. “I think forgiveness is a big thing as well. It’s hard when everything is raw to have forgiveness.”
Outside Annunciation, there is an inscription that this is a House of God and the Gate of Heaven — a healing place.
“These are holy grounds, and they will remain holy grounds until the end of the earth,” said Catherine Nguyen, a parishioner.
Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese announced that there will also be a rosary for Annunciation at 10 a.m. Friday.
You can watch the full Saturday Mass on the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Facebook page.
Click here for ways that you can help the Annunciation community.
RELATED COVERAGE:
Source link
