Archbishop Bernard Hebda, three Catholic elementary school students and one of their teachers led a rosary of the sorrowful mysteries Sept. 5 for Annunciation in Minneapolis.
Sponsored by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office for the Mission of Catholic Education (OMCE), the rosary was livestreamed via the archdiocese’s Facebook page and made available on Relevant Radio’s Family Across America Rosary. Prayers also were lifted for an end to violence against children.
“We are 6th and 7th grade from Kenilworth, New Jersey. We send our thoughts and prayers,” read one comment on the livestream. “Here from Austin. Praying together,” said another. “Love from St. Benedict Catholic School in Richmond, Virginia,” read a third.
The rosary followed the Aug. 27 shooting at Annunciation’s church during an all-school Mass for the parish’s elementary school. Two children were killed and 18 were wounded, as were three adults. The suspected shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.
The students and teacher were from Holy Trinity Catholic School in South St. Paul. Eighth graders John Hawkins and Annie Galaba, seventh grader Eva Wunderlich and middle school religion and science teacher Teresa Regnier said it meant a great deal to pray the rosary with the archbishop and for Annunciation.
“I think I’m really blessed to be able to come here,” Galaba said. “I feel really bad for the people of Annunciation, and I hope they get the help they need.”
The archbishop introduced the rosary by expressing his gratitude for the many prayers the Annunciation community and the archdiocese have received from around the world, including from Pope Leo XIV.
“We’re so grateful for those prayers,” the archbishop said. “But we know that have to pray as well.”
The archbishop mentioned in a special way the two students who remained in the hospital, Sophia Forchas and Lydia Kaiser, as well as the two students who were killed, Fletcher Merkel and Harper Moyski.
“I trust that we were joined by Fletcher and Harper, who can be such powerful intercessors for us at this time,” the archbishop said as he concluded the prayers.
Jessica Trygstad, associate director of Catholic education in communications at OMCE, said the Catholic schools office asked Holy Trinity to help because the school prays the rosary regularly before Mass. Catholic schools across the archdiocese were invited to join the prayers.
The principal at Holy Trinity, Anita Davis, said her staff had been discussing what they might do to support Annunciation and the opportunity to pray the rosary was a blessing.
“What better way to share our thoughts and prayers than by leading the rosary and asking Mary’s intercession and blessing, to put a spiritual blanket around their church, a spiritual blanket around their whole community,” Davis said.
