Last week’s tragic school shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis saw hundreds of Minnesotans coming together to support the affected individuals and families – and each other.
They did this through small acts of commemoration and kindness, such as candles, flowers, and thanks to teachers and emergency responders. They also gathered in larger groups – in parks and places of worship – seeking to heal heartbreak and find ways to prevent a recurrence of the violence that killed two children Aug. 27. Eighteen other children and three adults were wounded in the attack during a Mass to kick off the school year.
At a Sunday service at Annunciation Church, the Rev. Dennis Zehren urged parishioners to cling to their faith amid “darkness” and grieving, until “a little light starts to dawn.” That, he said, is “what we wait for … what we welcome.”
Since the shooting, however, a political firestorm has ensued in the wake of comments by those impatient for greater action on gun control.
“These are kids that should be learning with their friends,” a visibly shaken Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told the press after the shooting. “They should be able to go to school or church in peace, without the fear or risk of violence.”
“Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying,” he said.
The political right is now accusing the left of diminishing and disrespecting religious practice. The left contends “thoughts and prayers” is a platitude to disguise inaction on weapons access and use.
Yet the dispute sets up a false dichotomy between political activism and the notion of prayer as passive acceptance. It would obscure the fact that a substantial portion of Americans rely on prayer for comfort and practical spiritual action. According to the 2025 Pew Religious Landscape Study, prayer is a part of life for more than 60% of Americans, with 44% saying they pray daily.
“I believe prayer works because it changes us,” the Rev. Shannon Johnson Kershner of Central Presbyterian Church in Atlanta told CNN last week. “Prayer gives us the vision to see everyone as God’s beloved,” she said, “and then it motivates us into acting that out in the way we live our lives and … use our resources.”
Father Zehren shared this prayer-rooted vision Sunday: “There is no darkness that God can’t bring life from. There’s no sorrow that God can’t spring joy from,” he assured the congregation.
