As parishioners and police respond to the threat of an armed intruder, clergy at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in Abbeville, Louisiana take cover behind the altar on May 11, 2024. / Credit: Saint Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Abbeville, Louisiana
CNA Newsroom, May 12, 2024 / 13:10 pm (CNA).
Quick action by alert parishioners and local police are credited with averting a tragedy at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Abbeville, Louisiana yesterday.
As 60 children were preparing for their first communion, the parish located south of Lafayette, Louisiana reported that an armed “suspicious person opened the back door.”
“The individual was immediately confronted by parishioners, escorted outside and the police were called,” the parish indicated in a statement.
In an interview with the Acadiana Advocate, Abbeville Police Chief Mike Hardy credited parishioners for having disarmed the suspect and having him already pinned to the ground when police arrived.
A livestream video of the Mass captures the tense moments when presiding Fr. Nicholas DuPre was alerted to the situation.
Though the suspect was quickly neutralized, panic broke out when the suspect told police a second shooter was near the building. That is when law enforcement entered the church to make sure there was no additional danger. No other suspect was found.
The 16-year-old suspect was charged with terrorizing and two counts of possession of a firearm by a juvenile. He is being held in the Abbeville General Hospital Behavioral Unit for medical evaluation.
Lafayette, Louisiana Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel credited the quick response of alert parishioners and the Abbeville Police Department for stopping the armed intruder. Credit: Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette, Louisiana Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel said “We are thankful to God that a tragedy was avoided.” “Let us pray for an end to all threats of violence to innocent human life,” he added.
The parish informed that “out of an abundance of caution, we will have uniformed law enforcement at all upcoming Masses.”
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Archdiocese of Detroit’s I AM HERE website features powerful photo essays of real people’s transformative encounters, prayer resources through Hallow, and inspirational messages urging people to give Jesus’ Real Presence a chance to change their lives. / Courtesy of Archdiocese of Detroit
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 18, 2022 / 05:23 am (CNA).
The transformative power of encountering Jesus Christ in the Eucharist is a phenomenon that is often difficult to fully comprehend. To help those who are searching for Jesus’ presence, the Archdiocese of Detroit and Hallow App are launching the I AM HERE campaign.
The campaign allows parishes as well as individuals to get involved. Through the teachings of the National Eucharistic Revival, a grassroots effort led by the U.S. bishops aiming to inspire and teach about the Eucharist, I AM HERE aims to promote a true devotion to the Real Presence.
The I AM HERE campaign launched on June 14. The campaign includes a website, social media, and testimonies from real individuals whose lives were changed by the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Hallow app is also assisting the organization with a series of free audio prayer meditations to help listeners pray.
“Something that I think is really unique to the way we do evangelization and mission is direct communication in the Archdiocese of Detroit. We’ve always highlighted and seen the power of personal testimony and personal stories.” Emily Mentock, associate director of strategy for the Detroit Archdiocese, told CNA.
The National Eucharistic Revival and I AM HERE come in response to the small percentage of Catholics who believe in the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. A 2019 Pew Research Center survey found that 69% of Catholics see the bread and wine as symbolic, while only 31% see the bread and wine as the body and blood of Jesus.
Because of this statistic, Mentock told CNA that they want to focus on the 31% who do believe and have them share their stories. She tells all people to, “open your heart and mind to what might be possible.”
“We hope to see our parishes transformed by people growing in love for Jesus Christ and in their zeal to communicate this love with others,” said Edmundo Reyes, director of communications for the Archdiocese of Detroit.
The Hallow app and the Archdiocese of Detroit are partnering on a eucharistic campaign called I AM HERE. Courtesy of Archdiocese of Detroit
The I AM HERE website features powerful photo essays of real people’s transformative encounters, resources for intentional prayer through Hallow, and inspirational messages urging their audience to give Jesus’ Presence a chance.
“You are never alone. In your brokenness, sorrows and frustrations, Jesus wants to say to you, ‘I am here,’” says the main message on the I AM HERE page.
Through a budding social media presence on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, the campaign will feature personal testimonies of eucharistic encounters. The campaign’s press release also states that campaign organizers, partnered with parishes, will gather stories of parishioners to help encourage others to find Jesus in the Eucharist themselves. Parishes wishing to get involved can contact iamhere@aod.org.
The stories on the I AM HERE website feature individuals from all different walks of life. From teenagers to the elderly, each person has a unique experience to share. The variety of testimonies is meant to show the audience that there is no requirement to find Jesus’ Real Presence, only that you “sit in his presence and open yourself up to his voice.”
“Mass is an obligation, you know, whether you believe in the real presence or not. But adoration only makes sense, really, when you’re going to go and look at and put yourself in front of this host if you think that Jesus is present there: body, blood, soul, and divinity,” Mentock told CNA.
“So we really want people to see the I AM HERE message. What’s sort of underlying it all is that it’s not just a devotion. It really is Jesus being here with us and breaking through the brokenness of our world to meet us and transform us in the gift that is the Eucharist.”
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Give that monster life in prison. No mercy.