Vice President JD Vance journeys to Minneapolis for discussions with families affected by a school shooting incident.
In the wake of the tragic Minneapolis shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church, Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance paid a visit to the city on September 3rd. The shooting, which occurred a week prior, resulted in the loss of two young lives – Fletcher Merkel, aged 8, and Harper Moyski, aged 10 – and left 21 other individuals injured, 18 of whom were children.
During their visit, the Vances left bouquets of flowers and observed the growing memorial outside the church. Although they did not make any public remarks during their visit, Archbishop Bernard Hebda expressed optimism about the meeting between the Vance family and families affected by the shooting. He noted that it has been edifying to see prayers and support from Pope Leo and other clergy, the community, and beyond for the families whose children attend Annunciation.
The Vances also visited Annunciation Catholic Church, where masses were being held in the school gym due to the church being unavailable. The Archbishop was not expected to be part of the meetings with the vice president. The meetings are expected to provide an opportunity to educate about the incident and plan for the future.
As of earlier this week, several victims of the shooting remain hospitalized. Annunciation Catholic School has not yet announced when classes will resume or when a ceremony will be held to reconsecrate the church.
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Despite the lack of information about specific meetings with the Vice President and Second Lady on Monday, September 7, it is clear that the visit by JD Vance and Usha Vance was an important step in offering support and expressing sympathy to the victims of this tragic event.
