Episcopalians responded in grief and anger over a shooting at South Minneapolis’ Annunciation Church and School during a celebration of the Mass on August 27, which resulted in the death of two schoolchildren, ages 8 and 10. Another 17 people were injured, 14 of whom were children ages 6 to 15.
The Rt. Rev. Craig Loya, Bishop of Minnesota, said he was devastated by the news in a statement issued hours after the attack, adding: “Our metro area congregations have many close connections to students, faculty, and staff at the school, and all of us are feeling the crushing weight of grief.”
Loya said the two Minneapolis Episcopal churches closest to Annunciation Parish were both hosting prayer vigils for community members. Grace Church, near Lake Harriet, held a vigil on the evening of the shooting. St. John’s Church in Linden Hills will hold a vigil service at 7 p.m. August 28, which it described as a time “in which we will grieve, lament, and express our pain and solidarity with the families who lost their children and the whole community who is in trauma.”
“St. John’s has many layers of connection with Annunciation Church, including members who attended the elementary school, family who are members there, and Annunciation children who attended St. John’s Peace Frogs summer camp last month,” the church’s Facebook page said.
The Associated Press reports that the attacker, 23-year-old Robin Westman, used three weapons to shoot through the stained-glass windows of Annunciation Catholic Church, where students, teachers, and community members were gathered for an all-school Mass.
“You need to know that within seconds, our heroic staff moved students under the pews. Law enforcement responded quickly and evacuated all of our children and staff to safety in a matter of minutes when it was safe to do so,” the school’s principal, Matthew DeBoer, and the Rev. Dennis Zehren, pastor of Annunciation Parish, wrote in a joint statement.
Westman, a former student at the Catholic school and a former member of the parish, committed suicide at the scene.
Officials say his motives were unclear, but two rambling YouTube videos (since taken down by police) reportedly showed him making anti-Christian remarks and using a photo of Christ for target practice. FBI Director Kash Patel said on X that the incident was being investigated as an “act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics.”
According to the BBC, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described Westman as a “man, claiming to be transgender” on Wednesday and Minneapolis’ mayor decried hatred being directed at “our transgender community.”
Bishop Loya expressed deep frustration at the recurrence of such attacks. A recent CNN report said the Minneapolis attack was the 44th school shooting in the United States this year.
“The fact that we live in a nation where children are shot and killed while at worship or in school would be unimaginable if it wasn’t so common,” he said. “Over decades, our elected officials have proven unwilling to take even the smallest steps toward addressing the fact that in many parts of our nation, it is easier to purchase a gun that is designed only to kill large numbers of humans than it is to get a license to drive a car. As a nation, we have chosen access to guns over the ability to assemble in our most sacred public spaces without fear. This crushing grief is simply what that collective choice costs.”
In the face of helplessness, anger, and fear, Loya urged people to look to the hope of Jesus’ resurrection, which “establishes forever that God’s love is the most powerful force for change and healing in the universe, and that love will one day break down and recreate even the most corrupt and broken systems we inhabit.”
He added: “The whole purpose of our lives is to stand in the midst of a deeply distorted world and bear witness to Jesus’ better way of love. Our nation has made peace with the kind of carnage that played out in Minneapolis today, but we have not and we will not. It is essential that we continue to flood our elected officials with demands to reverse the grim choice we have made and pass sensible gun control laws that will prevent massive suffering and death.
“Finally, we remember that Jesus always goes where the pain is. Jesus always, always shows up most fully with those who are doubled over with grief, pushed aside by oppressive systems, ignored by the powerful, or afraid in the shadows. Jesus goes most fully to those places in our own hearts, and in the world around us. Jesus always shows up with the balm of love where there is deepest pain, and that’s where we show up as his hands and heart today.”
The Rev. Mark Michael is editor-in-chief of The Living Church. An Episcopal priest, he has reported widely on global Anglicanism, and writes about church history, liturgy, and pastoral ministry.
