The Diocese of Nashville offered a special Mass, Monday evening, to help the community process the day’s tragedy.
Bishop Mark Spalding offered Mass to allow people to pray for the victims of the Covenant School shooting.
He reminded them that love will help them get through painful times like this.
The bishop went on to say that people need to come together and not only listen to each other, but to be there for each other during this tragic time.
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Grimsley is the author of the newly released “Cross-Stitched: One Man’s Journey From Ruin To Restoration” book, his story about finding God.
Hear why Jason wrote the book, and how he overcame the issues that plague the mental well-being athletes face like failure, depression and guilt.
Dozens of migrants are dead after a migration center in Mexico went up in flames.
The Bishop of the Diocese of Nashville presided over a Mass yesterday to pray for the victims of the Covenant School shooting.
The oldest permanent deacon in the Diocese of Brooklyn, John Flannery, still comes three days a week to help out at Holy Family St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Park Slope, despite being retired.
As police continue to gather more evidence on the devastating shooting in Nashville, more information about the victims are beginning to emerge.
As the memorial outside of the covenant school continued to grow, community members left flowers and balloons to remember the six victims.
Three children, each only nine-years-old, were among those who were killed in Monday’s mass shooting.
They were Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney, and Hallie Scruggs, the daughter of Chad Scruggs, the pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church, which is connected to the school.
Among the adults who were killed was the head of the school, Katherine Koonce, 60, who parents say knew every single student by name, along with Cynthia Peak, 61, a substitute teacher, and Mike Hill, 61, who was the school’s custodian.
There is no word yet on funeral arrangements for the six victims.
WARNING: The body camera footage of the police encounter with the shooter, Audrey Hale, may be disturbing.
Nashville residents consoled each other and turned to the Church after three children and three adults were killed in the deadliest U.S. school shooting in almost a year.
As their community comes together to mourn the life of the victims, police are now working around the clock to answer questions about the horrific attack.
So far, police say they’ve found a manifesto in the shooter’s car, which was located near the scene of the shooting.
The suspect, identified as Audrey Hale, was in possession of three guns: an AR-15 rifle and two 9-millimeter handguns, with 30-round magazines.
Hale’s weapons were purchased legally, according to authorities. Hale was also under a doctor’s care for an emotional disorder, police said.
“Law enforcement knew nothing of the treatment she was receiving,” John Drake, Nashville Police Chief, said. “But her parents felt she should not own weapons. As it turns out, she had been hiding several weapons within the house.”
By Jessica Easthope
John Flannery has lived many different lives – he’s been a monk, an Air Force Staff Sergeant, a social worker and a fashion designer – but he’s never been happier than the day his title became deacon.
“I have loved it ever since, I really met some wonderful guys, God has been very good to this old guy really, each assignment and each thing I’ve done every person has pointed me in their own way,” he said.
He joined the Diocese of Brooklyn’s second ever class of permanent deacons and was ordained in 1978. As one of the oldest in the diocese today he’s retired but still comes three days a week to help out at masses at Holy Family-St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Park Slope.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy, it’s a wonderful parish the people are great they’re good and when I say good not just hello and I go to mass on Sunday, they put their faith into practice in how they meet one another,” said Deacon John.
Pastor Holy Family-St. Thomas Aquinas, Fr. Rafael Perez says after all this time and even at 90 years old Deacon John is still needed.
“One of the ways in which his ministry is very much alive and active is presence to people he’s got a tremendously big heart and a lot of wisdom he shares,” said Fr. Rafael.
Fr. Rafael says the people in the pews look to Deacon John as an example of a life of service.
“From the time of his youth until the present his own journey of faith has been extraordinary. One of the things that amazes me about him is his capacity for faith, hope and joy his life embodies that,” he said.
But that life hasn’t always been easy. Deacon John is a recovering alcoholic, he got sober nearly 30 years ago. Now, in his free time, he makes rosaries. Just like the individual beads, each of his life’s experiences have made him who he is today.
“Never regretted one minute the choices I have made,” he said.
Every step lead him here. He has no plans of slowing down and no regrets.
The NYPD is looking for three teenagers after they destroyed a statue of an angel outside a church on March 23.
The group was caught on surveillance cameras damaging the sculpture shortly after 10 p.m. in front of Holy Family Church on 74th Ave. near 175th St.
Two of the teens are seen lifting the statue over the church fence as the third recorded them on a smartphone. One of the vandals is then seen running with the angel and smashing it to the ground, causing it to break, surveillance video released by the NYPD shows.
After observing video of one of the teens recording the vandalism and making a mockery of it, Father Sean Suckiel was left wondering if there was more to it.
“Is this linked to the whole TikTok challenge that’s going on out there to destroy schools, bathrooms, and church property and to vandalize things?” Father Suckiel said. “These kids think it’s a joke.”
While bothered by the incident, Father Suckiel wasn’t shocked, noting that two nearby churches had been vandalized over the past several months.
“I was totally upset,” Father Suckiel said. “This has been going on for a while. We know that right down the road, Mary’s Nativity-St. Ann Church was struck months ago. And then St. Nicholas was hit during the Christmas season. It’s just sad.”
The statue, which was acquired by the church a decade ago, is believed to be valued at $500.
“We’re going to find these teenagers who did it,” Father Suckiel said. “We’re going to hold them accountable even though we do believe in forgiveness. I want to assure people that the parish is protected and that we do have security cameras all over the campus.
“There are teenagers out there who think this is funny. It’s really not funny. They’re hurting people,” he added. “They’re hurting parish patrimony. There’s no sense of respect anymore and it needs to stop.”
The incident is being investigated by the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force. Police are asking the public for help identifying the vandals, who they believe to be between 15 and 17 years old.
If anyone has information about the incident, the NYPD is asking that they call the Crime Stoppers hotline at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be confidential.
Bishop Robert Brennan and the pilgrims slowed down and enjoyed a bit of silence at Our Lady of Hope Church in Middle Village, Queens, on Monday.
The pilgrims kneeled before the blessed sacrament in adoration, the moment of prayer followed a Mass celebrated by Bishop Brennan, along with three classes from the church’s Catholic academy.
During his homily, the bishop encouraged parishioners to stay focused as Easter is fast approaching.
Starting on Ash Wednesday, pilgrims have been visiting different parishes every day for 40 days, except Sundays, and experiencing the beauty of each church and the community there.
A deadly mass shooting at The Covenant School, a private Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee leaves at least three children dead.
A trio of teens destroyed an angel statue at Holy Family Church in Queens.
Pope Francis prayed for people who were hit by a devastating tornado in Mississippi.
PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Seven people, including three children, are confirmed dead after a suspect began shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville on Monday, March 27, police said.
The shooting occurred at The Covenant School, a Presbyterian school located in the Green Hills neighborhood that holds approximately 200 students from preschool through sixth grade.
The shooter was identified as Audrey Hale, 28 — who identified as a transgender woman — a former male student at the school from the Nashville area, according to police chief John Drake.
Hale, who was armed with two “assault-style rifles” and a handgun, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department, was also killed after a standoff with police officers at the school.
Nashville Mayor John Cooper said on Twitter it had been a “tragic morning” for the city while sending his condolences to families.
In a tragic morning, Nashville joined the dreaded, long list of communities to experience a school shooting.
My heart goes out to the families of the victims. Our entire city stands with you.
As facts continue to emerge, I thank our first responders and medical professionals.
— John Cooper (@JohnCooper4Nash) March 27, 2023
“My heart goes out to the families of the victims,” Cooper said in his online statement,
“Our entire city stands with you.”
The victims include three children, three adults, and the suspect.
The victims were transferred to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead.
Police are still trying to gather information about a possible motive and what took place moments before the shooting.
“There is video from the school we are viewing now to try to learn how all of this happened,” Don Aaron, Metro Nashville Police Department spokesperson said during a press conference on Monday afternoon.
Students were escorted to safety by police, while holding each other’s hands, as they fled the school to a nearby church near the campus to be reunited with their parents.
Democratic State Representative Bob Freeman, who represents the district the school is located in, called the shooting an “unimaginable tragedy.”
https://twitter.com/bobfreemantn/status/1640394959630090240
“I live around the corner from Covenant and pass by it often,” Rep. Freeman said in a statement. “I have friends who attend both church and school there. I have also visited the church in the past. It tears my heart apart to see this.”