"We don't know yet who the victims are," Wallace said. "We assume that a number of victims may be parishioners or their relatives."
Monsignor Jerald A. Doyle, administrator of the Bridgeport diocese, promised the prayers of Catholics in the diocese and shared their "collective sense of grief, shock, and loss."
"We are all deeply saddened and shocked by this unthinkable tragedy, and our hearts go out to the entire Newtown community," he said Dec. 14.
"Catholics throughout the Diocese are urged to join us in prayer for the victims and their families."
Catholic Charities of Fairfield County has a trauma team with experience in counseling those in crisis. The team will be available to help victims in the local parish and Catholic school. The agency is open to the wider community but at present is focused on those most likely to be part of Catholic organizations.
"Our focus is dealing with any families that are members of the parish who will need counseling immediately," Wallace said.
"The diocese at this point is on the ground doing what it can," he added. "People will rally around."
St. Rose of Lima will have a special Mass tonight at 7 p.m. for the victims of the shooting.
Updated Dec. 14, 2012 at 1:02 MST. Adds commentary from Msgr. Doyle, administrator of the Bridgeport diocese.
Kevin J. Jones is a senior staff writer with Catholic News Agency. He was a recipient of a 2014 Catholic Relief Services' Egan Journalism Fellowship.