The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast) - The Annunciation School Tragedy

Episode Date: August 29, 2025

Jeff offers his reflections and words of encouragement following the recent school shooting at Annunciation in Minneapolis. Email us with comments or questions at [e-mail]. Text “jeffcavins” to 33-777 to subscribe and get Jeff’s shownotes delivered straight to your email! Or visit https://media.ascensionpress.com/?s=&page=2&category%5B0%5D=Ascension%20Podcasts&category%5B1%5D=The%20Jeff%20Cavins%20Show for full shownotes!

Well, hello, I'm Jeff Kavens, and every week I'm here talking about the things that are going on in the body of Christ, growing in the Lord, studying Scripture. One of the subjects that we talk about quite often, one that I'm very interested in, is suffering. And today we went through quite a bit in the Twin Cities, Minneapolis, St. Paul, where I'm at. And I was just ready to record my show this week for you. and there was a news flash and that there was an active shooter

at Annunciation School in Minneapolis just a few miles from where I'm at right now. And it gripped the entire Twin Cities and then I found out later that it was gripping the world. The world was responding to the tragedy at the Annunciation School. And, you know, when things like this happen,

you realize just how connected we all are in the body of Christ. I know we're a big church, but there seems to be that seven degrees of game, you know, that people play where somebody knows somebody that was there or somebody knows somebody that used to go to that school or whatever it might be. And we find out that we're very connected. Today, rather than doing the show that I had prepared for you, I'd like to talk to you just for a few minutes about my perspective, my connection, and the response to this. The school and the church are actually part of my past here in the Twin Cities. As a youngster growing up in my early grade school years, we went to enunciation.

It's right off of 35W south of Minneapolis. My parents brought me there. Bishop Paul Dudley was a pastor at the time there. and I remember it very, very well, going to church there on a regular basis. And so I have that connection to the church and to the school that this tragedy took place. Two beautiful young children were killed and over 15 people hospitalized and some of them in critical condition and a local shooter who is the one who did the deed here.

That's the school I went to, that's the church that I went to, I should say, when I was growing up. And so that's one connection. Another connection to that school is that the priest who was saying mass at the time, this shooting took place during the first Wednesday mass of the school year. Tuesday was the first day. But on Wednesday, all of the students were together for mass. But the pastor that was saying mass was my pastor for the last eight years. And I grew to love him. and think the world of him. In fact, I have told people before I think he's one of the finest homeless of our day. He's just so good and such a pastor.

And Father Zarin moved on to enunciation, and he was saying Mass. And so our prayers go out to Father Zarin. And then I also am a long, long-time friend of one of the teachers at the school who was involved there and was a part of heroic deeds in blocking children from gunfire and holding kids underneath the pew and comforting kids who had been wounded. And I had a chance to talk to family members there, my friend, and the stories that I'm receiving are nothing short of just heroic, heroic virtue from everyday people like you, you know, that suddenly on a Wednesday They thought it was the second day of school, and they had no idea that by the end of the day, the whole world would know what was happening in that mass in Minneapolis.

And of all days on the feast of St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, who prayed for her son and interceded for her son, and he came around. but the love of a mother. And today there are mothers who are suffering greatly because of the loss of a child. Two children died and so many who are wounded. And even the mother of the shooter as well, you know, everybody is suffering in that way. Those are my connections to the Annunciation tragedy. That was my church. The priest was my pastor for the last eight years and went to Israel with me.

just a fine man, and one of the teachers that demonstrated heroic virtue, her family has been very good friends of ours for 25 years. In fact, our daughters went to school together. So it's really been a day of thinking this over, and there's something about this one that caught the world's attention. Pope Leo communicated with the Archbishop, Archbishop Hebda, and he extended an apostolic blessing to the school, the parents, the students, the entire archdiocese, Pope Leo, who did some of his early training here at the hospitals in the Twin Cities. So he has, I think, a place in his heart for the Twin Cities. But let me tell you just a little bit about the timing of this that I thought was really interesting.

Because when there's tremendous suffering like this, it's hard to make sense. out of it. But then again, how do you make sense out of evil? How do you explain away evil so that everyone says, well, I guess those things happen? No, those things don't just happen. And I find that there isn't anything that I can say that will change the deep pain of the families. And there are times like this when we need to pray. And what we can do is simply be with the suffering, with those who are suffering, to hold them, to comfort them. Your words are not going to heal the situation. It's not going to make their children come back. It's not going to reverse surgeries or anything like that or the hope that these kids had or the optimism about a new school year

in life. We're not going to be changing that with our words. But by our steadfast love and faithfulness to stand in solidarity with the family of God, it communicates something. It really does. I spoke to a family member earlier today, the family member of one of the faculty members, and they were telling me about how proud they were of their daughter and the heroic virtue that she displayed in her life there. And I got to thinking of myself, you know, you just never know when the day will change and you will be tested. And the world may be watching. What are you made out of? Are you faithful? Have you been training as a disciple of the Lord? Are you willing to step into the fray and even offer your own life?

Maybe someday I'll have a chance to talk to this teacher. And perhaps you might hear from her someday. She's an outstanding young lady. And she stepped up to the plate today. And she's struggling. And so I just ask you to pray for all the teachers and all the faculty at a enunciation. So listen to this. Do you know what the theme was? The principal of the school at the press conference explained that every year they have a theme. And the faculty got together, they prayed about it, and they came to the conclusion that the theme this year would be taken from Jeremiah 2911. And Jeremiah 2911 says this, for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans of welfare and not for evil, to give you a future

and a hope. That was the theme. That's what the kids were introduced to, is that this year you have a future and you have a hope. And then at 8.20 during Mass, the shots rang out. And so it forces us now to take Jeremiah 29-11 and meditate on that and find out, Lord, what are you saying? And what will the lives of these young people be like? And what can the body of Christ do to help them heal and to help them stand strong for that future with hope? And so I'm reminded that at times like this, we fall prey to news cycles because in three or four days from now, it's not going to be a story anymore.

Yet the pain will be there, the suffering will be there, the stitches will still be in there from surgery, and there will be people in the hospital. And that we in the body of Christ have to have a long memory to remember to pray for those who have been really hurt now and in the past. And perhaps right now is a good time to think about the difficulties that others, your friends, family, extended family, have gone through and we have moved on. But maybe they haven't moved on. And we need to circle back and we need to love them and reach out to them and let them know I'm thinking of you. So when did it happen? Well, it happened.

And I spoke to someone who knows exactly what happened at what time this was going on during the mass. the shooting began during the responsorial psalm and listen to what the responsorial psalm was for today as all the kids were saying this in unison you have searched me and you know me lord isn't that something you have searched me and you have searched me and you know me, Lord, and the shots rang out.

I'll tell you what, I don't have a whole lot to say about that right now because I'm going to do a lot of thinking about that, and I'm going to do a lot of praying about that. Sometimes you don't have just the answer, the tip of your tongue, do you? I could take that to adoration and say, Lord, right when the kids were saying, you have searched me and you know me, Lord. shots rang out chaos ensued well archbishop Hebda at the news conference said we need to be people filled with hope we need to be people filled with hope and that was the theme God's going to give you kids a future

and a hope and he said we need to be filled with hope and you know when we say that oftentimes we equate it which is not what the archbishop is saying at all for sure but we we equate it with hope so, you know, in that we need to be people filled with hope so. That's not true, is it? We don't. We're not filled with hope so. And we're not filled with, I kind of hope it happens. We're filled with a hope that is very deep, a hope that is powerful, anchoring. You know, the scripture says that hope is the anchor for the soul. Hebrews talks about this. So the community will move forward in hope.

But hope doesn't stand on its own. You see, hope is one of the three theological virtues that you received in baptism. The other two are faith and charity. And none of them stand alone. It's like a dynamo, like a fusion that takes place. We need to be filled with hope. And as the archbishop said, we need to go forward in hope. but hope doesn't stand on its own.

It is always related to God's faithfulness and his love. The three seem to always stick together. And at baptism they did, and you received all three. The three worked together and create a kind of fusion that transforms lives. And so when we say, I'm going to walk in hope concerning the future for the families that went through this, the faculty, the clergy, the deacon, the president of the school. They said, we're going to go forward in hope. Well, that hope is an anchor for the soul because it's connected to God's faithfulness. And it's connected to his love. And so we stand in hope by walking faithfully

and loving as he loved. You can't just hope so. You've got to be faithful. and you've got to love. And that's the response to this type of tragedy. There's going to be a time of healing. You know, that's one thing I've always told people, even when I was a pastor years ago, is that when something horrible happens to someone, you don't try to heal the whole thing in a conversation. You know, it's going to be all right. You're going to move on. Life's going to be better someday. That is not what people need to hear. They need silence and they need a hug. They need love, they need to know they're not alone. You know in the Jewish community, they have what's called Shiva. Shiva is the Hebrew word for the number seven. And after the family member dies, they have

seven days of morning where no one's left alone. The people stick with them. They don't just send them hallmark cards and say it's going to get better. They actually stick with them for a week. They bring food over in pictures, and there's always someone there. And so at times like this, we need to be with the people. Show solidarity. Perhaps you are in California. Perhaps you're in Oregon or you're in Vermont or you're in Kentucky right now, wherever you might be. I'll tell you what, if you can do it or your school, your Catholic school can do it. The students in your Catholic school can write letters to the students at enunciation. In fact, I'm going to put something in the notes regarding this so that if you do want to write a note to these kids,

you want to write a note to the school, to the pastor, and let them know that they're not alone. Maybe we can show them that we are in solidarity with them. So hope is an anchor for the soul. the community will move forward in hope. But faithfulness expressed in love is what will win the day and bring about the good. How do we overcome evil? We overcome evil with good. We overcome evil with love. Perfect love, John says.

Perfect love casts out fear. Pray that these students, these sweet kids, pray that the faculty, pray that the parents, pray that the parents, will walk in love and not fear and that God will do it an incredible work in them and good will come out of this because good triumphs over evil

every time so if you want to write a letter I'm going to see if I can get an address for you next week next show and I will give you that address and if your school wants to write letters of these kids.

You're part of the faculty. Maybe your faculty can write to the faculty of enunciation. Maybe you're a priest and you want to encourage Father Zeran. I'm going to give you an address on my next show. Let's pray together, shall we? In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen. Lord Jesus. When evil raises its ugly head.

we run to you when hope is being stolen we renew our hope in you when love crushes the joy of a family we become even a stronger family lord i pray for all of the children at annunciation school all the staff all the parents in the surrounding community i pray that you would hold them in your arms and encourage them and love them and let them know that they are not alone. Somehow, some way, Lord, in the future here, we pray that good will come out of this in some way, in some way.

In Jesus' name, amen. Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.