LIVE UPDATES: Shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis

An online fundraiser has been set up for one of the students shot in Wednesday’s attack, 12-year-old Sophia Forchas, who had just started seventh grade at Annunciation Catholic School. She is currently in critical condition and in the ICU at a local hospital.

According to the GoFundMe page:

“She has already undergone emergency surgery, and her medical team is doing everything they can to stabilize her. Her road ahead will be long, uncertain, and incredibly difficult — but she is strong, and she is not alone.

“Adding to the heartbreak, her younger brother was also inside the school during the shooting. Though he was physically unharmed, the trauma of witnessing such a terrifying event — and knowing his sister was critically injured — is something no child should ever experience.

“Furthermore, her mother, a pediatric critical care nurse, arrived at work to help during the tragedy, before knowing it was her children’s school that was attacked and that her daughter was critically injured.”

On Wednesday, Aug. 27, a shooter opened fire at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis during the opening Mass for the first week of school. 

Several public figures commented on the tragedy, saying that “thoughts and prayers” are not enough when addressing this situation. 

One of these public figures included former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

In a viral X post, Psaki attacked those assuring the Minnesota Catholic school of their prayers for the shooting victims and all those involved.

Thousands of users responded, blasting Paski for her anti-prayer rhetoric.

The Franciscan University of Steubenville provided a powerful response, explaining that prayer is the “very place we meet Christ, who himself was unjustly slain.”

ChurchPop has the full story here.

The leaders of the Minneapolis school where two children were shot and killed during a mass shooting incident on Wednesday say the school will remain closed for the time being as the community continues to deal with the “unfathomable” deadly incident.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday evening, Annunciation Catholic School Principal Matthew DeBoer and parish pastor Father Dennis Zehren described the crisis as an “impossible situation.”

“No words can capture what we have gone through, what we are going through, and what we will go through in the coming days and weeks,” they wrote. “But we will navigate this — together.”

Weston Halsne, a fifth grader at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, told reporters that his friend saved his life when a shooter opened fire during Mass on Wednesday.

Read more from ChurchPop.

The man who killed two children and injured 17 other people in the Minneapolis Catholic church shooting posted a YouTube video before the attack, which showed an anti-Christian motivation for the murders and an affinity for mass shooters, Satanism, antisemitism, and racism.

Learn more here.

After a pair of out-of-state school shootings in 2022 and 2023 shocked the nation, Minnesota’s bishops implored state lawmakers to provide security funding for local nonpublic schools. 

Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and the state Legislature both declined to act on repeated appeals from Catholic leaders seeking the same level of protection public schools receive.

Now, two years after their appeals went unheeded, tragedy has struck one of their own.

Jonathan Liedl has more at the National Catholic Register.

In times of tragedy, the Church turns to prayer. The Catholic Church believes that prayer can effect real change — not just in the heart of the person praying but in the world. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “Prayer and Christian life are inseparable” (CCC, 2745) and that prayer is a “vital necessity” (CCC, 2743).

Here is a litany to be prayed after a school shooting.

At a 3:30 p.m. ET press conference, Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirms the shooter’s identity as 23-year-old Robin Westman, born Robert Westman.

“We have to be men and women of hope,” Minneapolis Archbishop Bernard Hebda says at the conference. 

As a bell begins to ring, he says: “A bell in the Catholic Church is always a call to prayer. It’s a reminder for us to be praying. And we have to recognize that it’s through prayer … that we can indeed make a difference. That has to be the source of our hope.”

Principal Matt DeBoer says that staff and teachers were heroes during the shooting. 

“This is a nightmare. But we call our staff the dream team. We will recover from this,” he says.

“We lost two angels today. Please continue to pray for those still receiving care. We can’t change the past. But we can do something about the future,” he says.

Minneapolis Archbishop Bernard Hebda issues a statement on the tragedy Wednesday afternoon, expressing gratitude for “the many promises of prayers that have been coming in from the Holy Father, Pope Leo, and from so many from all around the globe” for Annunciation Parish and School “and for all who were impacted by this morning’s senseless violence.”

The archbishop begs for continued prayers, “that the healing that only God can bring will be poured out on all those who were present at this morning’s Mass and particularly for the affected families who are only now beginning to comprehend the trauma they sustained.”

The archbishop also prays for “the souls of those who lost their lives to our loving God through the intercession of Our Lady, Queen of Peace.”

“My heart is broken as I think about students, teachers, clergy, and parishioners and the horror they witnessed in a Church, a place where we should feel safe,” he says.

“We need an end to gun violence. Our community is rightfully outraged at such horrific acts of violence perpetrated against the vulnerable and innocent,” he continued. “They are far too commonplace. While we need to commit to working to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies, we also need to remind ourselves that we have a God of peace and of love, and that it is his love that we will need most as we strive to embrace those who are hurting so deeply.”

The archbishop also invites the public to a prayer service tonight at 7 p.m. local time at the Academy of the Holy Angels, 6600 Nicollet Ave., in Richfield, Minnesota.

Archbishop William E. Lori, vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, issues a statement following the shooting:

“As a Church, we are following the tragic news from Annunciation School in Minneapolis with heartbreaking sadness. Whenever one part of the Body of Christ is wounded, we feel the pain as if it were our very own children. Let us all beg the Lord for the protection and healing of the entire Annunciation family.”

Pope Leo XIV sends a telegram to Archbishop Bernard Hebda of Saint Paul and Minneapolis via Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin on Wednesday afternoon:

“His Holiness Pope Leo XIV was profoundly saddened to learn of the loss of life and injuries following the shooting that took place at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis, and he sends his heartfelt condolences and the assurance of spiritual closeness to all those affected by this terrible tragedy, especially the families now grieving the loss of a child. While commending the souls of the deceased children to the love of Almighty God, His Holiness prays for the wounded as well as the first responders, medical personnel, and clergy who are caring for them and their loved ones. At this extremely difficult time, the Holy Father imparts to the Annunciation Catholic School community, the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and the people of the greater Twin Cities metropolitan area his apostolic blessing as a pledge of peace, fortitude, and consolation in the Lord Jesus.”

During a press conference around noon local time, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara described the incident at Annunciation Catholic Church as an “unthinkable tragedy.”

The shooting took place during the opening Mass of the parish’s parochial school, O’Hara said.

“During the Mass, a gunman approached the building on the outside and began firing a rifle, [and] shooting through the windows,” the chief said. “He struck children and worshippers that were inside the building.”

Read more.

Multiple victims, including nine children, had reportedly been taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, with several of the children in critical condition, according to media reports.

After hearing of the attack at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, Denver Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila issues a statement asking the faithful of the Archdiocese of Denver to unite in prayer with their brothers and sisters in Minnesota.

When asked about the suspect, Police Chief Brian O’Hara says: “We believe it is one suspect, a sole shooter … in his early 20s, he does not have a known criminal history. We are looking through information left behind to try and determine some type of motive.”

He says he does not have any information on whether he was a former student or employee. 

“It appeared he had some black clothing on, some cargo-type pants. You can interpret that however you like,” O’Hara says.

Chief of Police Brian O’Hara says at press conference that the city has experienced an “unthinkable tragedy.”

“During the Mass, a gunman approached the building on the outside and began firing a rifle … shooting through the windows he struck children and worshippers that were inside the building. The shooter was armed with a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol.

“Two young children, ages 8 and 10, were killed where they sat in the pews. Their parents have been notified. 

“This deliberate act of violence is a sign of cruelty that is beyond comprehension. Our hearts our broken for everyone that has been affected by this tragedy.”

Mayor Jacob Frey at press conference: “There are no words that can capture the horror and the evilness of this unspeakable act. You cannot put into words the gravity, tragedy or absolute pain of this situation.

“These kids were literally praying. … I’m so deeply saddened and I’m so sorry to the families that I know are suffering right now.”

Annunciation School, which serves Pre-K through eighth grade, was founded in 1923, a year after the parish of the same name began serving the Windom neighborhood in southwestern Minneapolis.

The school has 369 students and an average class size of 18 students, according to Private School Review, a website that tracks schools. (The school’s website was down as of late morning Wednesday, Aug. 27.)

The school is at 525 West 54th Street, just west of Annunciation Church, which is at 509 West 54th Street.

Mass shooting events at Catholic churches in the U.S. are exceedingly rare. Notably, on June 10, 2002, a 71-year-old gunman entered Conception Abbey in rural Conception, Missouri, and opened fire, killing three monks before taking his own life. The motive for that shooting remains unclear. 

Auxiliary Bishop Kevin Kenneyt’s remarks to KSTP 5 News: 

“Horrific. Unbelievable that this could happen. It’s very sad for the community. It’s very sad for the families that have lost loved ones.

“I’ve talked to a few [parents] whose children are in surgery. They’re panicking, of course. They’re in shock. They’re worried.

“It was the opening school Mass, is my understanding. It’s a horrible, horrific way for all the students to begin the school year.” 

Media reports said at least two individuals had been killed at the shooting, with numerous injuries reported. Reports also say the shooter has been contained.

A news conference is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET.