Message from Max Huber - Parish Director

In our August 30/31 bulletin, I share an article about the excitement surrounding the start of school and a prayer for our students, teachers, and staff. I submitted that bulletin on Monday and it was delivered to us at the Parish office on Wednesday. It was delivered on the day when the joy and innocence to starting school was shattered.

My heart is broken for the parents and families who are suffering. As the father of a 7-year-old and a 9-year-old, I cannot begin to fathom the pain, emptiness, and sorrow of losing a child in such a sudden and tragic way.

This tragedy has left so many of us shaken, with more questions than answers. What happened at Annunciation touches us deeply—not only because it is close to home, but because it happened in a place where children should feel most safe, most loved, and most seen. My heart aches for the families who lost their little ones, for the parish community that is hurting, and for all who are left stunned by such violence.

Scripture reminds us in 1 Corinthians 12:26: “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it.” We have felt that truth in the deepest way. Their suffering is our suffering. Their grief becomes our grief. And together, as one Body in Christ, we will hold one another in love and prayer.

But we must also takes the words from Archbishop Hebda and Annunciation Catholic School Principal Matt DeBoer to heart.

“...When you pray, move your feet.' So I beg you, I ask you to please pray, but don't stop with your words,” pleaded DeBoer.

“...It’s through prayer and that ‘prayer of the feet’ – through action – that we can indeed make a difference,” added Hebda.

Principal Schmidt, Father Dan, and I created a Safety and Security Task Force before the start of summer break. Over the summer, Principal Schmidt attended a variety of school safety trainings and adopted the “I Love U Guys” Foundation’s Standard Response Protocol. For our Parish and our School, safety is our top priority. We are continuing to grow and adapt in our practices and procedures.

Times when doors are unlocked for Masses will be shortened. Accessing the building via our buzzer system during the work week may take a little longer. Though it may seem neighborly, we ask that you do not prop the door open for the next person.

We do not have all the answers at this moment. We are putting all options on the table and with that, things will look a little different, but our love of God and of one another will not change.

In times like these, words often fail. We may never fully understand why something so senseless could happen. But even in the midst of such sorrow, we are reminded of who we are: a people of faith, a people of hope, a people united in Christ. We believe that God hears our cries, that Jesus weeps with us, and that the Spirit comforts us even when the pain feels unbearable.

Please know my office is open. My heart is heavy, but my ears are here to listen. If you need a place to sit, to pray, to weep, or simply to not be alone, I welcome you. Sometimes the most healing thing we can do is gather together in silence and presence, holding one another up when words fall short.

As a parish family, let us continue to pray: for the children whose lives were cut short, for the families who are grieving, for the parish community reeling in shock, and for an end to violence against the innocent. Let us pray, too, that we may be strengthened to be Christ’s light in a world that so desperately needs hope.

May we hold one another a little closer. May we entrust our pain to the God who knows our suffering. And may the peace of Christ, though hard to feel right now, begin to take root in our hearts.

With you in grief, with you in faith,

Max Huber, Parish Director