As the new school year starts in the United States, the one-year anniversary of a deadly shooting at a Catholic school Mass in Minneapolis has kept safety on the minds of school officials and archdioceses. Source: OSV News.
A former student at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis opened fire through the stained-glass windows of the church on August 27, 2025, while Mass marking the beginning of the school year was being celebrated.
Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10, died in the pews and 18 people, including three adults in their 80s, were injured.
The shooter, 23-year old Robin (formerly Robert) Westman was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the church parking lot. It was believed to be the first time in recent school shooting history a Catholic school was the target.
In the aftermath, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara indicated the tragedy could have been much worse had the church doors not been locked. The shooter planned to trap Massgoers by barricading the exits before entering the church – but Chief O’Hara said Westman shot through the windows after discovering he couldn’t enter the building.
“The Annunciation shooting really shone a light on the school Mass,” said Gregory Farno, chancellor of education at the Baltimore Archdiocese.
“We looked at what should best practices be? And what is most effective? And through that, we developed, I would call it a fairly comprehensive list of practices that we felt strongly should be examined by each and every one of our schools and parishes,” Mr Farno said.
Some measures include locking some church doors while also keeping within fire and safety exit codes, and doing thorough safety checks inside the churches just before Masses.
Other Catholic school districts of large archdioceses around the country, including Los Angeles and Chicago, were cautious about sharing information on safety or security plans heading into the new school year.
Boston Archdiocese said it also does not discuss safety protocols but confirmed having “a robust training program for schools and parishes and (providing) a number of services and support throughout the year. We are constantly evaluating and enhancing our training and safety programs all year.”
While attention was on the Archdiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis schools after the shooting, at the state level the Minnesota Catholic Conference continued to push for state funding that would help support safety and security measures at Catholic schools.
FULL STORY
Catholic schools’ new year sees safety, security and budget impacts after school shooting (By Simone Orendain, OSV News)
