Jewish, Muslim, Greek Orthodox, Episcopalian and Maronite Catholic faith leaders joined Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Bishops Michael Izen and Kevin Kenney for an interfaith prayer service Aug. 28 at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis.The service included meditative music from the Basilica’s Cathedral Choir and Mundu as hundreds gathered in prayer in the wake of the Aug. 27 Annunciation church shooting at an all-school Mass in Minneapolis.
Two students were killed and 18 were wounded, as well as three adults. The suspected shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene, police said.
“I’m grateful to offer a few words, even though in these days I found that words somehow or another can’t capture what is is that I’m trying to say,” Archbishop Hebda said in a reflection. “I’m hoping, brothers and sisters, that music and presence are able to convey that love more than my poorly chosen words.
“We can’t even imagine the horror experienced by those in Annunciation church yesterday morning,” the archbishop said. “I see a good number of people from Annunciation today, some of whom were present for that Mass yesterday. I can’t even imagine what that was like.”
“Words cannot really communicate how it is that we desire to be supportive, not only to those families who have lost loved ones, but to those who are keeping vigil at the hospital beds of those who have been injured,” the archbishop said.
Expressing gratitude for the presence of law enforcement and first responders in the Basilica, the archbishop said the community’s prayers were with them as well, “and we struggle to support you with our words.”
Noting one of the readings for the evening came from the Book of Revelation as it speaks of a new heaven and a new Earth, the archbishop said it was a reading that looks forward, not backward.
“While in spite of our prayers, we can’t turn back the hands of time to reverse what happened yesterday, we can rest assured, brothers and sisters, that we have a God who, in spite of how it might seem, has a plan, and that plan involves a new heaven and a new Earth,” the archbishop said.
Faith leaders sharing their thoughts and prayers — with expansive time for meditation and music between comments — included Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman of Temple Israel in Minneapolis, who said in part, “Our Catholic community has been shattered by violence. We mourn those whose lives have been stolen, two children. We pray for those who are injured and carry in our hearts the grieving families, educators, community members, and first responders. In Jewish tradition, it tells us we are all responsible for one another. It calls us to care deeply for the safety, dignity, and humanity of every child, teacher, religious leader, every member of our community. An assault on one community is an assault on every community.
“Leviticus tells us to not stand idly by while our neighbor bleeds,” she said. “These are not distant headlines. This is the pain that has shattered our neighborhood, our city. It has arrived here. This is a shared pain, our shared call to action. When one light is extinguished by hatred and violence, the world grows darker.”
Imam Matthew Ramadan of Masjid An-Nur Mosque in Minneapolis, greeted the congregation wishing God’s peace.
“God reminds us in the Quran, ‘Whoever kills a soul, unless for justice or for corruption in the land, it is as if they had killed all of humanity,” he said. “And whoever saves one, it is as if they had saved all of humanity. The sanctity of life is among the greatest trusts given to us by our Creator.”
“We recommit ourselves to protecting and uplifting our youth, providing nurturing spaces where every child feels safe, supported and free to dream,” he said.
Metropolitan Nathanael, who presides over the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago, which has parishes and monastic communities in Minnesota and five other states, said Jesus entered suffering, “bearing the pain of the cross, so that all creation might share in the joy of your rising.”
“In this hour of grief and loss, we confess that our lives, our sorrows, and our tears are not our own,” he said. “They belong to you, oh Lord, who have made us one body in your love. Remember, oh God, the lives cut short by violence in our city. Comfort the families who mourn and grant peace to our community. Help us who now share in this suffering to also share in the unshakeable hope of your resurrection.”
Archbishop Hebda joined in the call to make the world a better place.
“We’re so blessed in our community with some of the best resources around the globe,” he said. “Can’t we put our heads together and come up with a way that we might be able to diminish the violence in our community? That we might be able to live as brothers and sisters, that we might be able to heal the hurts that are all too evident in a society in which we’re going through a mental health crisis; a society where people are unable to trust; a society where people are unable to walk forward as brother and sister. That’s our obligation.
“The late Pope Francis in his call for this year to be a Jubilee Year, asked us all to be pilgrims of hope. I ask, in fact, I implore you this evening, brothers and sisters, regardless of your faith tradition, to join together as pilgrims of hope.”
