Prayers for the Uvalde Community and an End to Gun Violence

Children – God’s beloved, full of potential, energy, and light.

Teachers – God’s beloved, caring and formative presences in classrooms and communities.

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We join the Leadership Conference of Women Religious as we grieve the loss of precious life. Our hearts and prayers go out to those parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, and uncles who lost their precious children and to all who have been touched by the massacre at Robb Elementary School. On May 24, 2022, 19 children and 2 teachers in Uvalde, Texas were murdered at school.

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This perpetual gun violence is unacceptable and deplorable. Less than two weeks prior to Uvalde, 10 people were killed and 3 others injured, almost all of whom were Black, at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York.

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The Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange join the Sisters of St. Joseph Federation in calling for an end to gun violence. Along with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious we call on Congress to immediately take up legislation that:

 

• Requires universal background checks and mandatory waiting periods for all gun purchases;

• Bans civilian ownership of high-capacity weapons and magazines; and

• Provides funding to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct public health research on firearm violence prevention.

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As stated in our 2000 Stance against Gun Violence, we call for measures that address the manufacture, distribution and use of firearms designed to hurt or kill.

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We join sisters across the nation in denouncing this evil of gun violence and move toward unifying love. May we act boldly to transform politics and policies in our country that ensure that the dignity of every person is respected, preserved, and celebrated. May we hold all in prayer, including the entire Uvalde community, and all dear neighbors who have been impacted by gun violence. May they experience the care and protection of St. Joseph.