A Pastoral Word Regarding Today's Gun Violence at Annunciation Catholic Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota

As Executive Director of the Ohio Council of Churches, I write to express profound sorrow and outrage over the actions of a gunman in Minneapolis, Minnesota, whose violent deeds today, in the city's Annunciation Catholic Church, claimed the lives of two young students and injured 17 other people before ending his own life. We offer our prayers of comfort and healing for the families of the slain students, the family of the gunman, and for all who were injured in this unspeakably horrific shooting.

Of course, we know that abominable actions like today's gun violence in Minneapolis and in other cities require more of us than prayer. They compel us to boldly and visibly commit ourselves to the enactment of public policies that have the potential to prevent gun violence, and to collaborate with our neighbors in contributing our very best resources toward the creation of a culture of peacemaking and nonviolence. In such a realm, the peaceful, abundant, and flourishing life that Jesus offers to all may be realized, not just in the world to come, but here and now.

Let it be.  Amen.

With Hope,

The Rev. Dr. Jack Sullivan, Jr.

Executive Director

The Ohio Council of Churches