Church Offers Litany to Be Prayed after School Shooting
People attend a vigil at Lynnhurst Park to mourn the dead and pray for the wounded after a gunman opened fire on students at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on August 27.After a shooter killed two children and injured 17 other people on Wednesday morning during Mass at a Minneapolis Catholic school, the community is reeling as leaders call for prayer.
The shooter opened fire from the parking lot through the church window during a school Mass at Annunciation Catholic School, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara. The local Catholic school of almost 400 students has grades pre-K through eighth grade.
The shooter killed an 8- and 10-year-old and injured 17 other people before killing himself. Fourteen children were injured and at least two are in critical condition.
Jeff Cavins, a Minneapolis-based Catholic author with close ties to the parish, said that in the “vibrant Catholic community” of the Twin Cities, everybody is affected by the tragedy.
“Everyone heard about it within minutes, and it’s in the heart of our city,” Cavins told EWTN News’ Abigail Galván. “So what happens to one person in our Catholic community, everybody else is affected.”
Cavins, who attended the parish for several years when he was growing up, said the parish priest has “a pastor’s heart and love for children.”
“My pastor is the pastor there, Father [Dennis] Zehren, who is one of the most outstanding priests in America, truly is, and probably one of the best homilists I’ve ever heard,” Cavins said.
Cavins, who went to school at Annunciation as a kid, said that “what’s going through my mind is the vulnerability of these children in their first week of school.”
Many of the children had likely just attended the state fair before the school year started, Cavins said.
“But also, what’s going on in my mind is the responsibility of pastors and leaders in Catholic schools, and that they’re vulnerable as well,” Cavins said. “They’re putting their lives on the line to teach children in a world that we’re living in today, which, as we can see, anything can happen in your own backyard — and suddenly the world knows about it.”
Auxiliary Bishop Kevin Kenney said the parents are “in shock.”
“Unbelievable that this could happen,” Kenney told the local KSTP 5 News. “It’s very sad for the community. It’s very sad for the families that have lost loved ones.”
The shooting took place at Mass during the responsorial psalm, according to local priest Father Paul Hedman.
“It was the opening school Mass, is my understanding,” Bishop Kenney said. “It’s a horrible, horrific way for all the students to begin the school year.”
Parents await news of their children after a reported mass shooting at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis on Wednesday, August 27.Police identified the shooter as a man in his early 20s. He had posted several disturbing videos with anti-religious messaging on social media on Wednesday morning before the shooting. He reportedly had ties to the parish through his mother, who had retired from a job at the parish several years ago.
The Catholic community across the United States is uniting in prayer for the parish and local community.
Soon after the shooting, Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, called for prayers “for all those who were injured or lost their lives — along with their families” as well as “for the students, faculty, and entire parish community.”
In Harrisburg, Bishop Timothy Senior said in a statement “This act of violence hits home for our Catholic Community in a particularly disturbing way because this attack on precious and vulnerable children was in the context of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Our hearts go out to the victims and their families, to the faculty and staff of Annunciation, and to all who have been affected by this tragedy. Senseless acts of violence, like this shooting, happen all too frequently in our communities. I call on all people of goodwill to commit to building a society of peace, compassion, and unity, which respects the right of every person to worship without fear.”
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ vice president Archbishop William Lori said the Church is following the tragic news with “heartbreaking sadness,” adding that “whenever one part of the Body of Christ is wounded, we feel the pain as if it were our very own children. Let us all beg the Lord for the protection and healing of the entire Annunciation family.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin relayed to Minneapolis Archbishop Bernard Hebda a message from the Holy Father, which reads: “His Holiness Pope Leo XIV was profoundly saddened to learn of the loss of life and injuries following the shooting that took place at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis” and “sends his heartfelt condolences to all those affected by this terrible tragedy, especially the families now grieving the loss of a child.”
“While commending the souls of the deceased children to the love of Almighty God, His Holiness prays for the wounded as well as the first responders, medical personnel, and clergy who are caring for them and their loved ones,” the message added.
Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday said he was offering prayers for the victims of the Minneapolis Catholic school shooting, one he described as an “extremely difficult” and “terrible” tragedy.
Also on Wednesday, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a statement lamenting the loss of life in the deadly shooting.
“Whenever one part of the Body of Christ is wounded, we feel the pain as if it were our very own children,” USCCB Vice President Archbishop William Lori said in the statement.
“Let us all beg the Lord for the protection and healing of the entire Annunciation family.”
The remarks from the pope and the U.S. bishops come amid an outpouring of grief and support from around the U.S. and the world.
United in Prayer: A Litany to Be Prayed after a School Shooting
In times of tragedy, the Church turns to prayer. The Catholic Church believes that prayer can effect real change — not just in the heart of the person praying but in the world. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “Prayer and Christian life are inseparable” (CCC, 2745) and that prayer is a “vital necessity” (CCC, 2743).
The popular global prayer app Hallow has launched a prayer campaign for “healing for the injured, comfort for students, staff, and families, and the peace of Christ to be with all who were present.”
The Church also calls on the prayers of Mary and the saints to intercede for us. Below is a litany written specifically to be prayed after a school shooting.
Our Lady, Help of Christians, we turn to you, who watched your Son give his life for us, and stood strong at the foot of his cross, to ask for your consolation, your guidance, your motherly arms to embrace us. We stand in silence, praying beside you.
St. Joseph, great protector, pray for us.
Archangel Michael, defend us in every battle.
Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin, parents who lost four children, pray for us.
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, missionary to the United States, pray for us.
St. Emilia, mother of saints, pray for us.
St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine, pray for us.
Servant of God Dorothy Day, defender of all who lack protection, pray for us.
Sts. Perpetua and Felicity, mothers who left their infants to die for Christ, pray for us.
St. Junipero Serra, lover of peace, pray for us.
Blessed Lucien Botovasova, a dad, a teacher, and a martyr, pray for us.
St. Rita of Cascia, mother, patron of impossible causes, pray for us.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, who lost two children and is the first saint of the United States, and patron of educators, pray for us.
Sts. Jacinta and Francisco, sweet children, pray for us.
Blessed Carlo Acutis and Blessed Pier Girogio Frassati, soon to be declared saints and inspiring examples for all young people, pray for us.
Virgin Mother, we know that as a mother, you never took your eyes off of your children in Annunciation School, especially in those moments of dramatic confusion and fear; you accompanied them with your tenderness.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
May the souls of the departed rest in peace. Amen.
(Getty Images and Star Tribute, via CNA.)
By Kate Quiñones and Daniel Payne, Catholic News Agency
