How faith communities are tackling gun violence
Mary Rose Somarriba
Throughout the United States, communities continue to grapple with tragic news of gun violence. While political debates and policy discussions reveal fundamental disagreements on how best to protect the public from gun violence, individuals who witness gun violence in their communities suffer trauma and loved ones experience grief that requires more than political action to heal. In the face of tragic losses to gun violence, houses of worship have played a crucial role in helping communities heal.
Catholic churches have long been a source of comfort and support for those impacted by gun violence. Following the by the May 24, 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of San Antonio offered financial, legal, and counseling services affected families. After the shooting, Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller of San Antonio told Catholic News Agency that Catholic Charities was fundraising to “provide funds for all the funerals.” The Tablet reported that the archdiocese of San Antonio provided counseling, legal, and financial services to needy families at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, including replacing property damaged in the shooting.
Islamic groups also have helped to provide tangible resources to those suffering from gun violence. After the March 2021 shooting in Boulder, Colorado, the Colorado Muslim Leadership Council encouraged people to donate to the Colorado State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police, the Colorado Healing Fund, and the Community Foundation of Boulder County. In addition, the Muslim nonprofit group CelebrateMercy raised nearly $40,000 to donate to families affected by the shooting. As of September 2021, CelebrateMercy reported that the funds had been distributed to Imagine! Colorado and the Colorado Organization for Victim’s Assistance (COVA) confirming that the funds had reached the families and caregivers of the victims.
In Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chaplain’s Office hosts regular prayer vigils at Grace Apostolic Church to remember victims of homicide and providing “a chance to create a safe space for victims’ families to grieve and remember.” In May, Rev. Terri Hord Owens, general minister and president of the Disciples of Christ Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana, is hosting a webinar featuring faith leaders to address how to restore mental health in communities affected by gun violence. She’ll be joined by Rev. Cheryl Briner of the Fireside Christian Church in Denver, Colorado and mental health director Joselyn Spence of the National Benevolent Association.
Survivors of gun violence, who lost family members in shootings, also have sprouted up connecting those in houses of worship who suffered losses. One such group is Families Bridging Kindness. According to 90.5 WESA, Families Bridging Kindness reaches out to families after a shooting, offering “kind words and a seven-day candle often used during the Jewish Shiva practice throughout the mourning period.”
“Carol Black was attending services at New Light Congregation when the shooting began in Pittsburgh. She survived. Her brother, Richard Gottfried, did not. Months later, Black and others traveled to Charleston to be with the Emanuel church congregation. She still gets emotional describing the unspoken understanding between the two groups,” 90.5 WESA reports.
Pittsburgh’s Jewish Community Center provides a variety of different therapies to support members of the community through an organization called 10.27 Healing Partnership .
“It’s so easy in the wake of trauma to isolate, to retreat to your corner and to grieve alone, because it does feel like you’re the only one going through this,” Ranisa Davidson, a program manager with the 10.27 Healing Partnership, told 90.5 WESA. “There’s something very powerful about that human-to-human connection,” she said.
Other support groups that have sprouted up in faith communities cater specifically to mothers who have lost children. Sonnia Brown, a Muslim mother runs grief sessions for moms who’ve lost children with the violence prevention group Mothers in Charge, told NPR, “Whether you’re in the mosque, whether you’re in the churches … we all are tired of burying young people.” She believes faith groups have a responsibility to work together on solutions.
Faith-based school counselors work to provide resources to communities as well. Jessica Shierloh, school counselor of the St. Elizabeth Catholic School of Rockville, Maryland offers practical resources for parents and teachers, including how parents can assist in talking with their kids about gun violence they hear in the news, how to help kids recovering from trauma events, and how to take care of one’s own mental health in the wake of a disaster.
While the issue of gun violence may seem insurmountable, the meaningful efforts of these institutions and their communities offer tangible paths to hope for those suffering loss.
Mary Rose Somarriba is editor of Verily Magazine.
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