Stunned. Heart-broken. Deeply troubled. My emotions when I first learned about the tragic massacre in Texas this past Tuesday of 19 elementary students and 2 of their teachers. This incomprehensible violence perpetrated upon the innocent and vulnerable, little children, disturbs our psyche, and fills our hearts and minds with great unrest. The child-victims were the same age as our own St. Mel school children, 9/10 years old. Unable to alleviate the anguish of those who suffer so greatly: parents, families, and the Uvalde school community, may our conscious and fervent prayer for our brothers and sisters in the “Lone Star State" assure them that they are "not alone" in this time of dense darkness and pain. This weekend we also remember another group of fallen souls, those from our country who donned the uniform of military service and made the ultimate sacrifice to uphold and protect ‘ life, liberty, our God-given right to be happy.’ Dying on battlefields near and far the blood of these brave men and women secured our nation's freedom. May we never fail to pray for them with gratitude and remember them in a spirit of profound reverence and respect. "War" St. John Paul II said, “should belong to the tragic past, to history. It should find no place on humanity's agenda for the future." Nor should senseless violence be tolerated on our streets, in our subways, and, in our schools. Eternal rest grant unto all the fallen, O Lord...those who have died in wars long past and of violence most recent.…may they rest in peace. Amen.
Father Fonti