It's wild that this isn't bigger news, and it's a miracle the situation didn't turn out very, very differently.
In Abbeville, LA, a teen armed with a rifle tried to enter St. Mary Magdalen Church during Sunday Mass, which also happened to be the First Communion Mass for 60 children.
Quick action by alert parishioners and local police are credited with averting a tragedy at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Abbeville, Louisiana yesterday. https://t.co/V410r86paw
— Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) May 12, 2024
More from Catholic News Agency:
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.
The suspect is in custody and, per reports, transported to the hospital for evaluation.
Here's the statement from the parish:
Dear Parishioners,
This morning, our First Communion ceremony was interrupted when a suspicious person opened the back door. The individual was immediately confronted by parishioners, escorted outside and the police were called. The individual was quickly apprehended by Abbeville Police Department and is in their custody. Once apprehended, law enforcement entered the church to make sure there was no additional danger. This understandably caused panic. While we realize this was a frightening experience for those in attendance, we are incredibly grateful to both parishioners and police officers for acting quickly to ensure the safety of all. Chief Mike Hardy is handling the investigation with cooperation of the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s office and assistance from the FBI. Out of an abundance of caution, we will have uniformed law enforcement at all upcoming Masses. We invite First Communicants to receive First Holy Communion at whichever Mass they choose to attend this weekend. We are grateful for all the prayers for our St. Mary Magdalen community.
And a statement from Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel of Lafayette:
We are thankful to God that a tragedy was avoided at the First Communion Mass for the children of St. Mary Magdalen in Abbeville. The quick response of the Abbeville Police Department and alert parishioners is a great example of caring for the most vulnerable in our community. Let us pray for an end to all threats of violence to innocent human life.
A scary, scary thing.
We're so glad no one was hurt.
A lot of guardian angels were on the job.
— McClarey (@McClarey2) May 13, 2024
Yes they were.
If your church doesn’t have security, remember YOU are the security. Act accordingly.
— Marshal Thane (@Marshal_Thane) May 12, 2024
Good advice.
Quick action by alert parishioners and local police are credited with averting a tragedy at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Abbeville, Louisiana yesterday. https://t.co/q1Hb1VvZRw
— Father V (@father_rmv) May 12, 2024
It was the quick action of the parishioners that saved lives.
Thank you God for the quick response by the parishioners and law enforcement to apprehend the shooter before anyone could have been harmed. https://t.co/v3BBaapShg
— Bryce Barras (@BryceBarras) May 12, 2024
It could have been a horrific tragedy.
Yet Democrats in Colorado want to make churches defenseless. https://t.co/IPJ1CuM9uh
— Conservative Natizzy 🌈🙏☮️🕊✌️⛪️📿 (@Natizzy21) May 12, 2024
Democrats everywhere want to make everyone defenseless.
A teenager tried to shoot up a Mass in Louisiana where 60 children were about to receive First Communion. Was disarmed and pinned to the ground by parishioners before he could hurt anyone. https://t.co/zeKk0017Kj
— Frances (@frances_wanders) May 12, 2024
We hope this teen gets help and, yes, faces the consequences of his actions.
There is another angle on this, because it seems to be getting very little mainstream coverage outside of X and us here at Twitchy. This writer didn't even hear about it until early this morning, when it happened to show up in her feed.
The attacks on Christians and Catholics are ignored by the mainstream media. If this were a mosque or synagogue it would be national news. https://t.co/sp3eREAN4l
— A woman from South Carolina (@KihneSheila) May 12, 2024
We all know how that narrative would've played out in the media.
Stay vigilant, Don’t let your guard down. https://t.co/QMw62sozXj
— Let’s do this (@SecretToMeIsYou) May 12, 2024
Always stay vigilant.
This is the first I have heard about this. I don't think churches are taking threats seriously enough. https://t.co/Bi0STrFtVT
— Jemima Tyger (@jemimatyger) May 12, 2024
We certainly hope they are.
The motives -- whatever they may be -- of the suspect haven't been released. We'll be curious to see if they ever are, because given the current political climate, we wouldn't be surprised if this was driven by some anti-Catholic animus.
All we know for sure is a serious tragedy was averted, and we hope other churches learn from this and act accordingly.
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