A Call to Protect Our Children

The tragic shooting at a Church School in Minneapolis has left my heart heavy with grief. As soon as I heard the news, I reached out to my dear friend, a Catholic priest in my hometown, to offer condolences and support. We spoke of the senseless trauma inflicted on victims, their families, and friends, and the creeping desensitization among those who witness these horrors from a distance, falsely believing they are immune.

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As spiritual leaders, we recognize that while these losses may not wound us physically, they erode our humanity when we turn away, refusing to seek solutions. The unspeakable irony of children murdered in prayer not only silencing their voices but ending their innocent lives affects us deeply. Prayer is the heartbeat of my faith, but when children are gunned down in its embrace, our response cannot end with a solemn “amen.”

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We must act with urgency. These tragedies demand more than reflection; they require us to confront the sparks of violence before they ignite into devastation. 

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I am recommitting to my peace work, laboring harder and faster to awaken communities to their civic duty. 

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We cannot waste time on trivial debates while our children’s lives are at stake. 

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We must demand strategies that protect them with real solutions, not empty words.

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The pain in my soul for these precious children fuels my resolve. Their prayers, interrupted by violence, call us to stand together, to rebuild a world where innocence is safeguarded, and where no child fears death in a place of worship, not just with prayers, but with actions that ensure their light endures.