Summer of tragedies test the faith of Minnesotans
Minnesotans are grappling with two high-profile cases of violence this summer. In June, former House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were the targets of a political assassination and the near-fatal shooting of Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.
In August, a mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis left two children dead and more than 20 wounded.
For some, it's a time to turn to faith, but for others, it's a time to question it. One person helping parishioners navigate their faith is Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. He said it's his job to bring hope.
Within hours of the shooting, Hebda was at the scene with a message from Pope Leo XIV.
"The Holy Father wanted to promise us our prayers, which was very quick, and obviously, he pays attention to what's going on in the United States," Hebda said. "And then I mentioned it would be helpful if we had something written sooner rather than later. And even with the time difference, they managed to get a statement that we were able to read then already that afternoon."
On the Sunday following the tragedy, Pope Leo XIV called for an end to a "worldwide pandemic of arms." Within weeks, the Archbishop was at the Minnesota Legislature calling for change with parents of students who survived the Annunciation shooting.
"if we really are able to put our resources together, that we'll be able to address the question of guns, we'll be able to address the question of mental health crisis that we're experiencing at this point, and begin to address the problem," Hebda said.
In the weeks following the devastating shooting, Hedba said he's astonished at the community's resilience.
"I'm amazed at the deep faith. I've been really blessed," he said. "There's a group that gets together every night at 9 at Annunciation for the rosary, a typical Catholic prayer, and it's growing."
