Bishop Robert Brennan Offers Prayers for Minneapolis Catholic Community Following School Shooting

ST. PAUL, Minn. (OSV News) — A deadly mass shooting took place the morning of Aug. 27 at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis shortly after the start of the school day during an all-school Mass at the adjacent Annunciation Catholic Church.

The gunman shot from the outside of the church through windows at the Mass attendees with a rifle, shotgun and pistol, killing two children, ages 8 and 10. According to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, 17 others are injured, including 14 children. Three adults who were shot were parishioners in their 80s.

While there were “a range of injuries” among the injured children, they are all expected to survive, O’Hara said during an afternoon press briefing.

The suspected gunman is also dead and believed to have taken his own life in the parking lot.

Local media is reporting the suspected shooter was 23-year-old Robin Westman, who formerly went by Robert, and that his mother had been an employee of Annunciation.

Court documents filed in Dakota County, accessed by OSV News on Aug. 27, indicate that Westman identified as female and petitioned to formally undergo a name change to reflect that identity. The request was granted on Jan. 15, 2020.

O’Hara confirmed that Westman appeared to have barricaded at least two of the church’s exterior doors with two-by-four wooden boards to trap Mass attendees inside.

Aug. 27 was the third day of the school year for the Catholic elementary school, which serves students in preschool to grade eight. Students were attending an all-school Mass that began at 8:15 a.m. Authorities were alerted at 8:27 a.m.

The mass shooting at Annunciation appears to be the first of its kind involving a Catholic school since the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in Littleton, Colorado.

 

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey joined O’Hara in speaking to media on the scene. Dr. Thomas Wyatt, chair of emergency medicine at Hennepin County Medical Center, a Level 1 trauma center in downtown Minneapolis, also provided reporters an update on victims’ status. He said 11 patients were taken to HCMC, among them two adults and nine children ages 6-14.

“Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying,” Frey said.

Father Erich Rutten, pastor of nearby St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, arrived on scene this morning to pray with and comfort distraught and grieving parents at the school. The priest told NBC News that parents were in “great, great anxiety and grief,” with some “wailing and crying, some stooping to the ground.”

He told the news outlet that he hugged those he recognized; several of them joined in as he prayed the rosary.

Archbishop Bernard Hebda of Saint Paul and Minneapolis said in a statement that he is grateful for all the prayers that have come in for Annunciation Parish and School, and for all those who were impacted by the “senseless violence.”  

“I beg for the continued prayers of all of the priests and faithful of this Archdiocese, as well for the prayers of all men and women of good will, 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,” Archbishop Hebda said. “We lift up 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 added.  

Staff from The Catholic Spirit, the archdiocese’s newspaper, were on the scene. On its website, the archdiocese posted, “Please pray for all those affected by the shooting today at Annunciation in Minneapolis. Updates to come from The Catholic Spirit.”

RELATED: Pope Leo XIV Sends His Condolences After ‘Terrible Tragedy’ of Minneapolis Catholic Church Shooting

Bishop Kevin T. Kenney, auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis who grew up attending Annunciation Parish, told a local news station that “it’s just unbelievable that this could happen, still today.” It’s “very sad for the community, for the families, and very sad for the families who have lost loved ones,” said Bishop Kenney, speaking at HCMC.

“It’s a horrible, horrific way for all the students to begin the school year. Safety procedures were put in place, people come excited to go back to school, very excited about an academic year, feeling safe in south Minneapolis, and now look what happened,” he said.

“When I heard about the shooting this morning, I’m right down the street … I decided I better come over and just support the families and be here with them,” he said. “I have talked to a few (families) whose children are in surgery or being cared for. Just panicking, of course they’re in shock and worried, asking ‘why,’ so I’m just here to comfort … and to just walk with them in these hours ahead.”

Annunciation’s former interim pastor Father Robert Hart, 77, told NBC News that the shooting was “unbelievable.”

“It’s hard to believe that this could happen at a Catholic Mass,” he said. The priest described Annunciation as a “very close-knit and very supportive” community.

Archbishop Hebda also highlighted a shooting that took place yesterday near Christo Rey Jesuit High School in the archdiocese. With both tragedies in mind, he called for an end to gun violence.  

“We need an end to gun violence. Our community is rightfully outraged at such horrific acts of violence perpetrated against the vulnerable and innocent. They are far too commonplace,” Archbishop Hebda said. “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.” 

Bishop Robert Brennan of Brooklyn said it is incomprehensible to think that children lost their lives on their first week of school, and called the mass shooting “pure evil.”

“We pray for all the victims of this senseless tragedy and for the entire Minneapolis Catholic community who are suffering at this time,” Bishop Brennan said in a statement.

As the Diocese of Brooklyn gears up for the start of school next week, Bishop Brennan said the diocese is remaining vigilant. He noted that the diocese’s schools and parishes each have individual safety plans in place, as well as the help of the New York City Police Department.

“With just a few days left of summer vacation, we need to keep encouraging and supporting our children and showing them how much we love them,” Bishop Brennan added.

Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, vice president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement that “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,” Archbishop Lori said. “Let us all beg the Lord for protection and healing of the entire Annunciation family.”

President Donald Trump said on the X social media platform that he has “been fully briefed” on the shooting.

“The FBI quickly responded and they are on the scene,” he said. “The White House will continue to monitor this terrible situation. Please join me in praying for everyone involved!”

‘The White House will continue to monitor this terrible situation. Please join me in praying for everyone involved!’ – President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/hKudOz3AfA

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 27, 2025

Also on X, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said that he has been “briefed on a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School and will continue to provide updates as we get more information. The BCA and State Patrol are on scene. I’m praying for our kids and teachers whose first week of school was marred by this horrific act of violence.”

Kristi Noem, secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said on X that “DHS is monitoring the horrific shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. We are in communication with our interagency partners, and will share more information as soon as it becomes available. I am praying for the victims of this heinous attack and their families.”

Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, asked for prayers on X.

“Friends, this morning there was a shooting at Annunciation Catholic Parish in Minneapolis. Please join me in praying for all those who were injured or lost their lives — along with their families,” he wrote. “Let us also pray for the students, faculty, and entire parish community,” he wrote.”

Friends, this morning there was a shooting at Annunciation Catholic Parish in Minneapolis. Please join me in praying for all those who were injured or lost their lives—along with their families. Let us also pray for the students, faculty, and entire parish community.

— Bishop Robert Barron (@BishopBarron) August 27, 2025

Bishop Patrick M. Neary of St. Cloud, Minnesota, also expressed his grief over the shooting.

“Today, our hearts are shattered by the horrific act of violence that occurred at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis. Children were gathered for Mass. Teachers were beginning a new school year. Families were entrusting their loved ones to the care of the Church,” he said in a statement.

“I grieve deeply with the families, students, staff and parishioners of Annunciation. I grieve with our neighbors in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. And I grieve with every person who now carries the trauma of this senseless violence.

“As Catholics, we believe in the dignity of every human life. That dignity is destroyed when violence becomes routine,” he continued. “May Christ, the Prince of Peace, bring healing to all who are wounded, and may Our Lady of Sorrows intercede for us in this time of grief.”