A woman touches crosses setup at a memorial during a vigil on May 8, 2023, in Brownsville, Texas. The vigil was held in remembrance of the eight people killed May 7, 2023, and several injured after a man allegedly drove his car through a group of migrants waiting at a bus stop. / Credit: Photo by Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images
Washington D.C., May 8, 2023 / 13:15 pm (CNA).
Two tragedies over the weekend have left 16 dead and many more wounded in Texas.
Eight migrants were killed and 10 injured when a speeding SUV Sunday morning plowed into a group of people in the border city of Brownsville, local police investigator Martin Sandoval confirmed while speaking on NewsNation Prime Sunday night.
According to the Associated Press, the victims were Venezuelan migrants, most of whom were men. They were waiting for a bus after spending the night at a migrant shelter called the Bishop Enrique San Pedro Ozanam Center.
The driver, a man who has not yet been identified, ran a red light and sped off the road into a crowd of waiting migrants.
The killer also sustained injuries and was taken into custody, where police say he has been non-compliant. No motive has yet been established for the killing. However, authorities are investigating the incident as possibly an intentional massacre.
Responding to an influx of migrants, primarily from Venezuela, passing through the region, the city of Brownsville indefinitely extended a state of emergency in a May 4 disaster declaration.
In response to the killing, Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, along with auxiliary bishop Mario Alberto Avilés, offered a Mass at the Ozanam Center Sunday evening.
I, with Bp Mario & local clergy, said Mass at the Ozanam Center this evening, to offer consolation to the immigrants and staff.
Pray for those who saw it happen; they are devastated. Many first responders attended the Mass; pray for them also, for the burden they carry is great. pic.twitter.com/372n51B17P
According to a statement released by Flores on May 7, the Ozanam Center works closely with Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley to offer shelter, care, and resources to migrants in need.
“The safety, protection, and assistance of the immigrant men, women, and children who have been given permission to stay in the United States remains a priority for the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville,” said Flores, adding: “We must resist the corrosive tendency to devalue the lives of immigrants, the poor, and the vulnerable.”
Only a day earlier, eight more people were killed and several wounded in a deadly shooting in a Dallas suburb at Allen Premium Outlets.
Victims of Saturday’s shooting have been identified as young as 5, according to BNO News.
CNN reported that the killer, a man identified by authorities as Mauricio Garcia, was wearing a tactical vest and armed with a rifle and handgun. Garcia was shot and killed on the scene by responding police officers.
Bishop Edward Burns of Dallas responded to the shooting in a Saturday statement, saying: “I am deeply troubled by the shooting in the community of Allen and the senseless disregard for life that has occurred in our community,” adding that “the Catholic community is in unity and solidarity with the families who have lost loved ones in this tragedy.”
“May God, our Heavenly Father, bring comfort and strength to all affected by this tragic event,” Burns said. “We must work for an end to the violence. We must pray for peace within our communities. And, we must have the courage to stand up to the forces of evil and the culture of death.”
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A memorial Mass for the late Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell was held at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Hacienda Heights, California, on March 1, 2023. / Credit: YouTube/St. John Vianney Hacienda Heights
Boston, Mass., Mar 2, 2023 / 13:27 pm (CNA).
As three days of memorial services began Wednesday for the late Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, who was murdered in his Hacienda Heights home on Feb. 18, Pope Francis and President Joe Biden commended the man known as a “peacemaker.”
News of O’Connell’s murder and the subsequent arrest of his housekeeper’s husband in connection with the killing came as a shock to Catholics across the nation. Among those mourning the late bishop was Pope Francis, whose message was read at Wednesday’s memorial Mass at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Hacienda Heights, California.
Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez was the main celebrant of a 7 p.m. memorial Mass in which O’Connell’s younger brother attended and shared memories of growing up together in Ireland.
Pope Francis: O’Connell had ‘profound concern for the poor’
In a message from Pope Francis read aloud at the beginning of Mass by Gomez, the Holy Father commended O’Connell, 69, for his efforts to uphold the sanctity of life and his profound concern for the poor.
The pope sent his “heartfelt condolences and the assurance of his spiritual closeness” to all the clergy, religious, and lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles after the bishop’s “untimely and tragic death.”
Pope Francis remembered the bishop for his “profound concern for the poor, immigrants, and those in need; his efforts to uphold the sanctity and dignity of God’s gift of life; and his zeal for fostering solidarity, cooperation, and peace within the local community.”
“In commending the late bishop’s soul to the love and mercy of Christ the Good Shepherd, His Holiness prays that all who honor his memory will be confirmed in the resolve to reject the ways of violence and overcome evil with good,” said the message, which was signed by Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
“To those gathered for the Mass of Christian burial and to all who mourn Bishop O’Connell’s loss in the sure hope of the resurrection, the Holy Father cordially imparts his blessing as a pledge of peace and consolation in the Lord.”
‘Dave got us through tough times’
O’Connell’s younger brother, Kieran O’Connell, thanked the local Catholic community for the outpouring of support and said that his brother had a strong belief in the power of prayer.
“I know he has been a source of solace for myself and my family as well,” he said.
“As my older brother, he was an immense support to me during the passing of our parents and also my brothers and sister. Dave got us through these tough times. He always said it was God’s plan and thanked God for their wonderful lives,” O’Connell said.
Reflecting on his brother’s ordination, O’Connell said: “It was the proudest moment for our family and for the whole community when he said his first Mass in our local parish church.”
O’Connell noted the many “great memories” he had of visiting his brother in Los Angeles and the active role that the bishop played in the raising of his children.
“He was present at every milestone in our lives, baptism, holy Communion, graduation, weddings,” he said. “We forever cherish those memories.”
“Just thank you most sincerely for taking care of Dave for these 45 years and know that he was happiest here among his people,” he said, fighting back tears.
Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell’s brother, Kieran O’Connell, speaks at the bishop’s memorial Mass on March 1, 2023. Credit: YouTube/St. John Vianney Hacienda Heights
‘Christ was looking Dave right in the eyes’
Monsignor Timothy Dyer, pastor of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Los Angeles, gave the homily and opened his remarks by recalling Archbishop Gomez’s presence at the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Feb. 22 press conference following the arrest of O’Connell’s alleged murderer, Carlos Medina.
The archbishop had fought back tears as he struggled to get through his brief comments during that press conference.
“Before we begin to reflect on the Scripture readings I would like think that I represent each of you when I say to the archbishop that on the day he spoke in the news conference with the officials from the city and the state and the county around him, his inability to put into words his feelings, was the best way to speak for all of us,” Dyer said.
Dyer said that the Catholic community has been “overwhelmed” at the “pouring out of praise and gratitude” and sympathy from both the Catholic community and the secular community for O’Connell.
“If ever there was a man of prayer that I’ve known it was Dave,” he said. O’Connell would often begin meetings with the prayer method of lectio divina, he said, joking that “and he didn’t worry about how much time it took.”
O’Connell was passionate about standing up for immigrants, standing against racism, and standing up for the unborn and women, Dyer said.
“You could not pigeonhole him. If you wanted to put him up on your banner and let him be your patron for your particular cause, you could only do it if you embraced all of the things that he embraced, and all of the places he fished because it was an ethic of life from beginning to end,” he said.
Dyer’s recommendation that “it would be wise” for the seminary to hold an annual seminar to study O’Connell’s spirituality and ministry, was received with applause from those gathered at the church.
Dyer said that O’Connell had a “great devotion to Mary” that was “reflected in his respect and his admiration for women in religious life.”
Speaking briefly abuse the clergy sex abuse crisis, Dyer said that O’Connell would say to his fellow priests: “Wear it like a hairshirt. Let it irritate you so that it will never happen again.”
For O’Connell, becoming a bishop was a cross rather than a promotion, Dyer said, adding that “it almost broke his heart.”
O’Connell did not want to leave the flock that he pastored, Dyer said. “We need to take care of our bishops. It is not an easy life,” he said.
Fighting back tears, Dyer reflected on the last moments of O’Connell’s life.
“When the bullets were being fired, Christ was looking Dave right in the eyes, and he said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You may lay down the nets now Dave. I’ve prepared a place for you in the Father’s house,’” he said.
Dyer continued: “And there’s someone there who’s waiting too, the one you’ve always called the Blessed Mother, as well as your own mother, waiting to fold you in her arms. And Dave, you don’t have to be a bishop anymore. But in front of your dwelling place, there’s a great big lake. And we have a lot of fishing to do on behalf of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles still,” he said.
Biden White House statement
In response to a question from EWTN White House Correspondent Owen Jensen, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said March 1 that “the president and the first lady join Archbishop Gomez, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and the entire Catholic community in the mourning of Bishop David O’Connell.”
“We also express our sympathy and prayers for the family and friends of the bishop, who will certainly remember his legacy of service to those on the margins of society. And so, again, we offer up our condolences to the community.”
The White House responds to the murder of Bishop David O’Connell from Los Angeles and to the leaked FBI document comparing Catholics to violent extremists.
— EWTN News Nightly (@EWTNNewsNightly) March 1, 2023
There will be a public viewing on Thursday at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles. The viewing will take place from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
A vigil Mass will be held following the public viewing at 7 p.m. and will be livestreamed both here and here.
O’Connell’s funeral Mass will be held on Friday, March 3, at the same Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels at 11 a.m. local time. The funeral Mass will be livestreamed both here and here.
Denver Newsroom, Mar 15, 2022 / 12:06 pm (CNA).
Pope Francis will consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary later this month, the Vatican announced on Tuesday. What does… […]
Washington D.C., Jun 6, 2018 / 03:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- When presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was shot in a California hotel on June 5, 1968, his supporters prayed.
“After Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, many s… […]
1 Comment
Both murderers were Hispanic, so no, these were not terroristic anti-immigrant attacks despite the Washington Post’s absurdly dishonest attempt to portray the mall shooter as motivated by white supremacy Both also seem to be either immigrants or first generation “Americans” themselves. I wonder if Archbishop Gomez will cite these two atrocities as examples of how Latin Americans are “re-Christianizing” America as he as repeatedly claimed over the years.
Both murderers were Hispanic, so no, these were not terroristic anti-immigrant attacks despite the Washington Post’s absurdly dishonest attempt to portray the mall shooter as motivated by white supremacy Both also seem to be either immigrants or first generation “Americans” themselves. I wonder if Archbishop Gomez will cite these two atrocities as examples of how Latin Americans are “re-Christianizing” America as he as repeatedly claimed over the years.