Safety and prayer were top of mind as the school year began in the wake of a shooting that killed two students and wounded more than a dozen others at an Aug. 27 all-school Mass at Annunciation church in Minneapolis.
The Mass at Annunciation was held in the first week of classes at the elementary school, which is next door to the church. As part of its response, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office for the Mission of Catholic Education (OMCE) asked people to pause at 10 a.m. Sept. 5 to pray a rosary in solidarity for the students, families, faculty, staff and everyone who was affected by the tragedy, and for an end to violence against children.
“May our Blessed Mother hear our prayers and intercede for us to her Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” the OMCE announcement read.
Jason Slattery, the archdiocese’s superintendent of schools and director of Catholic education, sent an open letter to “colleagues and partners in Catholic education” that read in part, “Christian hope wells up from Jesus’ own victory over sin and death. We see this victory when ordinary children, women and men going about daily routines suddenly spring up and live out extraordinary acts of charity, kindness and tenderness. This was also part of the scene in south Minneapolis.”
In addition to prayer, Catholic school and parish officials were urged to review their safety and security plans, get to know local law enforcement officers and seek help from them with those plans, extra patrols and training.
Paul Iovino, director of the archdiocese’s Office of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment and a former police officer, encouraged parishes and schools to maintain a heightened level of security, with exterior doors locked and visitor access suspended or with strict practices in place when allowing visitors to enter.
“We are not aware of any current threats to any parishes or schools,” Iovino said in an open letter to Catholic officials. It is also important to recognize that there is a balance “between creating a space where parents, staff and the faithful feel safe and having too many security measures that may create undue stress,” he wrote.
Iovino encouraged officials to join the archdiocese’s security managers information group. “It is free to parishes and school,” he wrote. It meets twice a month to discuss security and safety issues, host guest speakers and announce upcoming training events.
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