Mourners flock to Connecticut parish for public, private prayer; evacuation follows threat
CWN - December 17, 2012
Catholics and non-Catholics alike flocked to St. Rose of Lima Parish in Newtown, Connecticut, following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Upon hearing news of the shooting, Msgr. Robert Weiss, the parish’s pastor, rushed to the school, and other priests ministered “on the ground and in the hospital,” according to a spokesman for the Diocese of Bridgeport.
On the evening of the massacre, a special Mass and prayer vigil were held at the parish, with hundreds of persons standing outside. The following day, a steady stream of Catholics and non-Catholics visited the church to pray in silence.
“The air was solemn, sad, yet there was a certain peace in the church,” the National Catholic Register reported. “No matter who was there — adults, young children and teens with their families, husbands and wives, single women, elderly couples — the silence was seamless. Every moment was filled with a solemn hush that was never broken. No one said a word. Even those shedding tears did so silently.”
During the noon Sunday Mass, an anonymous caller phoned the church, stating, “I’m coming to kill, I’m coming to kill,” according to the parish’s pastor – prompting the closure of the church for the remainder of the day.
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Posted by: jimgrum697380 -
Dec. 17, 2012 6:45 PM ET USA
Having been at Columbine after the shootings I know exactly what is meant by "a silent hush that was never broken." The charity of those Catholic priests and faithful of St. Rose of Lima in ministering and extending invitations to those stricken by this incomprehensible pain is commendable.
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Posted by: ltoscan2645 -
Dec. 17, 2012 10:35 AM ET USA
a suggestion...using the parish website link from above I have sent an email of prayerful support to the patsor and associates of the parish..the only thing I can offer is prayer for them as they face the crushing weight of funeral after funeral just days before Christmas
