Thousands grieve at vigil following deadly shooting at a US Catholic church

A bout 2,000 people processed into the Academy of Holy Angels High School gymnasium to attend a standing-room only vigil Aug. 27 in honor of the  Annunciation Parish and School community after a mass shooting at the school's commencement Mass earlier in the day.

Members of the Annunciation community and nearby Catholic parishes and schools attended the service, led by Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis and Fr. Dennis Zehren, Annunciation's pastor. Gov. Tim Walz, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison were among the state leaders in attendance, local TV reported. Members of other faith traditions also attended the vigil, one of several in the Minnesota area Aug. 27.

Hebda told the crowded gymnasium that he hoped the community gathered in prayer gave the families a sense that they were not alone, The Guardian reported. Hebda said he was moved by the children's stories that friends shielded them from the bullets and praised their courage and love amid a tragedy. 

Minnesota Public Radio reported that Hebda talked about the inscription at the front of the Annunciation Church that reads: "House of God and the gate of heaven."

"How is it that such a terrible tragedy could take place in a place that’s the house of God and the gate of heaven?" he asked. "It's unthinkable."

Klobuchar told the Minnesota Star Tribune that the family of one of the children who were killed this morning attended the vigil.

"Watching that mom and dad with the little sister there is something I will never forget," Klobuchar said. "It is brave to be here tonight."

Walz lamented that children just starting the school year "were met with evil and horror and death." 

Candles and white roses honor victims of the shooting at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis Aug. 27. (Zoe Ryan) 

"The vigil is the beginning of healing," said Katie Snee, a teacher at nearby Our Lady of Peace Catholic School. She said the shooting, which killed 2 children and injured 18 people, left people with "an unreal feeling. We're heartbroken."

The shooter, Robin Westman, a Minneapolis resident who had attended Annunciation school, died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

A woman standing next to the line of people entering the gymnasium, offered hugs from her golden retriever. Inside, many people were hugging others and crying. 

"I've been crying all day," JoAnn O'Rourke, an Annunciation parishioner,

Source: National Catholic Reporter/ By ZOE RYAN