Annunciation Catholic Church Holds First Mass Since Deadly Minneapolis School Shooting

MINNEAPOLIS — Mass was underway Wednesday greeting to people nan opening of nan world twelvemonth astatine Annunciation Catholic School erstwhile bullets started to travel done nan glass.

That nan shooting, which killed 2 students and wounded much than a twelve different people, occurred arsenic Mass was being celebrated is thing nan Rev. Dennis Zehren is still reflecting on.

"I will beryllium reflecting connected that for nan remainder of my life," Zehren said successful remarks earlier Saturday's Mass, nan first for nan parish since nan shooting. "It's thing I will ne'er beryllium capable to unsee."

Zehren, who was astatine Annunciation Catholic Church during Wednesday’s shooting, recalled rushing toward nan sound of nan bullets, hopeful that he could thief successful immoderate way.

"If I could person sewage betwixt those bullets and nan kids," Zehren said, "that's what I was hoping to do."

The Rev. Dennis Zehren, pastor astatine Annunciation Catholic Church, stands successful beforehand of a boarded up model base a connection of dream extracurricular of his religion connected Friday successful Minneapolis.Scott Olson / Getty Images

Students Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10, were killed. Fifteen different children, ages 6 to 15, were injured alongside 3 big parishioners.

Six group remained hospitalized Friday, including a kid successful captious information and an big successful superior condition, according to Hennepin Healthcare. Police person said each of nan wounded victims are expected to survive.

The fishy died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, constabulary person said. Authorities person not identified a clear motive. Joseph Thompson, acting U.S. lawyer for nan District of Minnesota, said nan fishy was afloat of dislike and was obsessed pinch nan thought of sidesplitting children.

During Saturday's Mass, which was held astatine a abstracted field building from wherever nan shooting occurred, Zehren wept arsenic he recalled nan congregation being told to enactment down arsenic rounds rang retired from what constabulary person described arsenic a semiautomatic rifle.

"The voices cried out, down, down, get low. Stay down. Stay down. Don't get up," he said. "When we were down there, successful that debased place, Jesus showed america something. He showed us, I americium nan Lord, moreover here."

The congregation, Zehren hoped, put evil successful its place.

"Together successful that debased place, we looked pinch Jesus into nan eyes of nan forces of acheronian and decease and evil," he said. "And Jesus pointed, and he said, 'See, can't you spot really anemic it is? Can't you spot really hopeless it is? Can't you spot that this tin ne'er last?'"

Zehren urged parishioners successful their darkest hr to invited nan "light of a caller day."

"One small infinitesimal of acheronian has brought distant a ray that is acold beyond thing we've knowledgeable before," he said. "I've ne'er successful each my years knowledgeable specified an outpouring of emotion and ray and hope."

Archbishop Bernard Hebda hoped that returning to Mass aft nan shooting would thief nan church’s parishioners and children reclaim a consciousness of normality.

“It’s that return to those things that are truthful acquainted to america that I deliberation is important,” he said earlier Saturday's Mass.

Charlie Lyman, a parishioner whose 3 children attended Annunciation, said aft Mass that nan religion has been a root of spot for family and nan Southwest Minneapolis organization for decades and will stay so.

“This spot instills successful america a consciousness of awesome religion to beryllium bully to 1 another, to thief each other, to beryllium benignant to 1 another,” said Lyman, whose family helped build nan church.

Tess Rada attended nan Mass pinch her 8-year-old daughter, Lila Hostetler, a student astatine Annunciation, and said it was reassuring to perceive Zehren stock his feelings.

“Just proceeding nan emotion successful his sound was very — it was nice,” she said. “It was like, you cognize these emotions aren’t escaping anyone. We each consciousness it, but we tin consciousness it together.”

Dennis Romero reported from San Diego and Selina Guevara from Minneapolis.