MINNEAPOLIS — Mass was underway Wednesday morning to mark the start of the tutorial yr at Annunciation Catholic Faculty when bullets began to come back via the glass.
That the taking pictures, which killed two college students and wounded greater than a dozen different individuals, occurred as Mass was being celebrated is one thing the Rev. Dennis Zehren remains to be reflecting on.
“I shall be reflecting on that for the remainder of my life,” Zehren mentioned in remarks earlier than Saturday’s Mass, the primary for the parish because the taking pictures. “It is one thing I’ll by no means have the ability to unsee.”
Zehren, who was at Annunciation Catholic Church throughout Wednesday’s taking pictures, recalled speeding towards the sound of the bullets, hopeful that he may assist ultimately.
“If I may have gotten between these bullets and the youngsters,” Zehren mentioned, “that is what I hoped to do.”
College students Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10, have been killed. Fifteen different youngsters, ages 6 to fifteen, have been injured alongside three grownup parishioners.
Six individuals remained hospitalized Friday, together with a toddler in important situation and an grownup in severe situation, in response to Hennepin Healthcare. Police have mentioned all the wounded victims are anticipated to outlive.
The suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police have mentioned. Authorities haven’t recognized a transparent motive. Joseph Thompson, performing U.S. lawyer for the District of Minnesota, mentioned the suspect was stuffed with hate and was obsessive about the thought of killing youngsters.
Throughout Saturday’s Mass, which was held at a separate campus constructing from the place the taking pictures occurred, Zehren wept as he recalled the congregation being instructed to remain down as rounds rang out from what police have described as a semiautomatic rifle.
“The voices cried out, down, down, get low. Keep down. Keep down. Do not stand up,” he mentioned. “Once we have been down there, in that low place, Jesus confirmed us one thing. He confirmed us, I’m the Lord, even right here.”
The congregation, Zehren hoped, put evil instead.
“Collectively in that low place, we appeared with Jesus into the eyes of the forces of darkness and demise and evil,” he mentioned. “And Jesus pointed, and he mentioned, ‘See, cannot you see how weak it’s? Cannot you see how determined it’s? Cannot you see that this could by no means final?'”
Zehren urged parishioners of their darkest hour to welcome the “gentle of a brand new day.”
“One little second of darkness has introduced forth a lightweight that’s far past something we have skilled earlier than,” he mentioned. “I’ve by no means in all my years skilled such an outpouring of affection and light-weight and hope.”
Archbishop Bernard Hebda hoped that returning to Mass after the taking pictures would assist the church’s parishioners and kids reclaim a way of normality.
“It’s that return to these issues which can be so acquainted to us that I believe is vital,” he mentioned earlier than Saturday’s Mass.
Charlie Lyman, a parishioner whose three youngsters attended Annunciation, mentioned after Mass that the church has been a supply of energy for household and the Southwest Minneapolis neighborhood for many years and can stay so.
“This place instills in us a way of nice religion to be good to 1 one other, to assist one another, to be form to 1 one other,” mentioned Lyman, whose household helped construct the church.
Tess Rada attended the Mass along with her 8-year-old daughter, Lila Hostetler, a pupil at Annunciation, and mentioned it was reassuring to listen to Zehren share his emotions.
“Simply listening to the emotion in his voice was very — it was good,” she mentioned. “It was like, you recognize these feelings aren’t escaping anybody. All of us really feel it, however we are able to really feel it collectively.”
Dennis Romero reported from San Diego and Selina Guevara from Minneapolis.
