Tucson, Ariz., Jan 12, 2011 / 15:38 pm
Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson celebrated a Jan. 11 Mass on behalf of the victims of the Arizona shooting and to comfort a grieving community. With hundreds in attendance, he said that God wants mankind to “resist evil,” to live with integrity, and to act with “civility and respect.”
“Everyone in our community is in grief. We are in tears. We are pained and concerned about what took place. We are a community questioning, struggling, wondering how such violence could happen," Bishop Kicanas said, according to the Associated Press.
The Mass took place in Tucson at St. Odilia Catholic Church, just a few blocks from the supermarket parking lot where on Jan. 8 a gunman fatally shot six people, critically injured U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and wounded more than a dozen others.
Among the dead was 63-year-old federal district judge John Roll, a daily Mass attendee who was known for his deep Catholic faith, professionalism and integrity.