May the Peace of Christ be with you… be with us all!
We have entered October in tragedy – the largest mass shooting in the history of the United States. Thousands gathered at a country music festival in Las Vegas, Nevada and became victims of a night of horror. We mourn and pray for all those murdered and injured. And we seek to do all we can to help those with whom we serve to make sense of a senseless act.
This topic WILL come up with your teens, so we’ve pulled together some resources to help you have those hard conversations.
Resources
- Fred Rogers: Look for the Helpers
- YouthMinistry.com: Fight Against Desensitization to Tragedy
- Bishop Robert Bannon: Jesus Matters, even though the World is a Mess and Injustice Continues
- Faith and Leadership: Bearing Witness to Pain and Violence
- Faith and Leadership: Reclaiming the Power of Lament
- Faith and Leadership: The Ministry of Why
Programming
- Saint Mary Press: A Listening Session for Teens
- YouthMinistry.com: How to talk to Youth About Tragedy
- YouthMinistry.com: How to T.A.L.K. with Teens about Tragedy and Terror
Prayer
- Saint Mary Press: Hear the Cries of the Victims of Violence
- America: Sad, Tired, and Angry: A Prayer in the Face of Gun Violence
- Archdiocese of Detroit: Intercessions for a Time of Tragedy
- Association of the Miraculous Medal: Prayer in Time of Tragedy
- Church of England: Prayer for those Caught Up in Tragedy
- Christianity Today: Prayer as a Powerful Act for Christians
Parents
- Homeword: How to Help Kids Cope with Tragedy
- Parenting.com: 5 Tips on Talking to Kids About Scary News
- Huffington Post: Five Things NOT to say in dealing with a Trauma
- US Department of Health and Human Services: Talking with Youth after Traumatic Events
News
- Crux: Pope Francis and Church Leaders Respond
- Catholic News Agency: Las Vegas bishop calls for Prayer
- Cardinal DiNardo: The Only Response is to Do Good
In 2 days, we celebrate the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, and, while filled with sorrow, our thought turn to prayer, and a prayer from St. Francis, himself…
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
