{"id":1864,"date":"2012-12-18T19:04:00","date_gmt":"2012-12-18T19:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/religious-women-support-teenagers-grieving-after-shooting\/"},"modified":"2012-12-18T19:04:00","modified_gmt":"2012-12-18T19:04:00","slug":"religious-women-support-teenagers-grieving-after-shooting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/12\/religious-women-support-teenagers-grieving-after-shooting\/","title":{"rendered":"Religious women support teenagers grieving after shooting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Newtown, Conn., Dec 18, 2012 \/ 12:04 pm (CNA<\/a>).- Consecrated women from a religious community in Connecticut are offering prayers, counseling and support to high school students following a mass shooting in their town.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cOnly God can give them the hope that they need to heal,\u201d said Florencia Silva, director of youth ministry for the Diocese of Bridgeport, Conn.<\/p>\n

\tSilva told CNA that she was one of three consecrated lay women from the Marian Community of Reconciliation who was asked to attend a Dec. 17 youth group meeting at St. Rose of Lima parish in Newtown, Conn., along with clergy, other consecrated laity and counselors.<\/p>\n

\tThe meeting was intended to help the members of the close-knit community reeling from a tragic shooting in their small town.<\/p>\n

\tOn the morning of Dec. 14, a gunman identified as 20-year-old Adam Lanza opened fire on students and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School after killing his mother at her house.<\/p>\n

\tThe gunman killed 20 children and six adults at the school before taking his own life.<\/p>\n

\tSt. Rose of Lima parish, which includes some 2000 families, regularly sees between 60 and 100 young people \u2013 largely high school students \u2013 show up for youth group meetings.<\/p>\n

\tSilva said that she and her religious sisters intend to support the teenagers by praying with them and for them, as well as being present and available if they would like to talk.<\/p>\n

\tShe explained that members of the religious community have already visited diocesan high schools in the region, organizing a Mass and making themselves available to listen to the students as they process the experience.<\/p>\n

\tThe students reacted positively, saying that the Mass helped them to heal, she said, adding that many of them are also experiencing deep feelings of grief and fear.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThose are normal reactions,\u201d she said. \u201cI think we are all very sad.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tSilva said she hopes to help the students through these struggles while aiding them in realizing that God is always present, even in the midst of tragedy.<\/p>\n

\tShe pointed to one child who recalled seeing God\u2019s presence in the loving and heroic actions of a teacher protecting a class full of students during the shooting.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cGod is always there,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\tEmphasizing that prayers are real and efficacious, Silva is asking people to pray for those who died in the shooting, including Lanza.<\/p>\n

\tWhile she acknowledged that forgiveness is not always easy, she stressed that it is a choice, made out of love, even when one is still struggling with strong emotions.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cIt\u2019s going to take time for the people to heal, for all of us to heal,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\tJulie Rogers, another member of the Marian Community of Reconciliation, said that she hopes to show the grieving teenagers at the youth group that \u201cthey\u2019re not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tNewtown is a \u201ctight-knit community,\u201d she observed, and its members need to see that they are being supported with love and prayers.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cFirst and foremost, they need to know that God is with them,\u201d she said. \u201cHe is not a distant God. He is present in their sufferings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe Blessed Virgin Mary is also present and \u201cknows what it is like to lose a child,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

\tIn addition, Rogers hopes to remind those who are suffering from the tragedy that the Christian response is \u201ca response of hope\u201d because it is centered on the Resurrection.<\/p>\n

\tThe Christian message is one of forgiveness, not vengeance, she added, and so they are praying for Lanza as well.<\/p>\n

\tDuring this time of grief, it is important to recognize that human beings alone cannot make sense out of this tragic situation, Rogers stressed.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThis is a time to turn to God,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Newtown, Conn., Dec 18, 2012 \/ 12:04 pm (CNA).- Consecrated women from a religious community in Connecticut are offering prayers, counseling and support to high school students following a mass shooting in their town.<\/p>\n

\t“Only God can give them t…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\nReligious women support teenagers grieving after shooting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Newtown, Conn., Dec 18, 2012 \/ 12:04 pm (CNA).- Consecrated women from a religious community in Connecticut are offering prayers, counseling and support to high school students following a mass shooting in their town. “Only God can give them t...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/12\/religious-women-support-teenagers-grieving-after-shooting\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Religious women support teenagers grieving after shooting\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Newtown, Conn., Dec 18, 2012 \/ 12:04 pm (CNA).- Consecrated women from a religious community in Connecticut are offering prayers, counseling and support to high school students following a mass shooting in their town. “Only God can give them t...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/12\/religious-women-support-teenagers-grieving-after-shooting\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Catholic News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-12-18T19:04:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews?d=yIl2AUoC8zA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"CNA Daily News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"CNA Daily News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/12\/religious-women-support-teenagers-grieving-after-shooting\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/12\/religious-women-support-teenagers-grieving-after-shooting\/\",\"name\":\"Religious women support teenagers grieving after shooting\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-12-18T19:04:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2012-12-18T19:04:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1\"},\"description\":\"Newtown, Conn., Dec 18, 2012 \/ 12:04 pm (CNA).- Consecrated women from a religious community in Connecticut are offering prayers, counseling and support to high school students following a mass shooting in their town. “Only God can give them t...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/12\/religious-women-support-teenagers-grieving-after-shooting\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/12\/religious-women-support-teenagers-grieving-after-shooting\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/12\/religious-women-support-teenagers-grieving-after-shooting\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Religious women support teenagers grieving after shooting\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/\",\"name\":\"Catholic News\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1\",\"name\":\"CNA Daily News\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"CNA Daily News\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/author\/cna-daily-news\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Religious women support teenagers grieving after shooting","description":"Newtown, Conn., Dec 18, 2012 \/ 12:04 pm (CNA).- Consecrated women from a religious community in Connecticut are offering prayers, counseling and support to high school students following a mass shooting in their town. “Only God can give them t...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/12\/religious-women-support-teenagers-grieving-after-shooting\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Religious women support teenagers grieving after shooting","og_description":"Newtown, Conn., Dec 18, 2012 \/ 12:04 pm (CNA).- Consecrated women from a religious community in Connecticut are offering prayers, counseling and support to high school students following a mass shooting in their town. “Only God can give them t...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/12\/religious-women-support-teenagers-grieving-after-shooting\/","og_site_name":"Catholic News","article_published_time":"2012-12-18T19:04:00+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews?d=yIl2AUoC8zA"}],"author":"CNA Daily News","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"CNA Daily News","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/12\/religious-women-support-teenagers-grieving-after-shooting\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/12\/religious-women-support-teenagers-grieving-after-shooting\/","name":"Religious women support teenagers grieving after shooting","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website"},"datePublished":"2012-12-18T19:04:00+00:00","dateModified":"2012-12-18T19:04:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1"},"description":"Newtown, Conn., Dec 18, 2012 \/ 12:04 pm (CNA).- Consecrated women from a religious community in Connecticut are offering prayers, counseling and support to high school students following a mass shooting in their town. “Only God can give them t...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/12\/religious-women-support-teenagers-grieving-after-shooting\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/12\/religious-women-support-teenagers-grieving-after-shooting\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/12\/religious-women-support-teenagers-grieving-after-shooting\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Religious women support teenagers grieving after shooting"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/","name":"Catholic News","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1","name":"CNA Daily News","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"CNA Daily News"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/author\/cna-daily-news\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1031"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1864"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1864\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}