May 17, 2022, Adrian, Michigan – The following is a statement issued by the General Council of the Adrian Dominican Sisters in response to the tragic mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, on May 14, 2022.
Our hearts ache for our brothers and sisters in Buffalo, New York, in their immense and inconsolable loss of beautiful beloved family members, friends, and neighbors to the murderous rampage of a violently disturbed, hate-filled teenager. This heinous act of domestic terrorism is a threat to all of us. It calls on us to do all we can to expunge the underlying sin of racism and white supremacy that perdures in our nation and finds expression in such horrifically lethal extremism. It is a soul sickness that runs contrary to our loving God whose image and likeness is revealed in each and every one of us living together on this our common Earth home.
Our faith tradition calls us to “love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). In that spirit, we invite you to join us in praying for the repose of the 10 souls whose lives were so cruelly shattered in seconds, for the comfort of all who are bearing that grievous loss, and for the national resolve to challenge the vitriolic discourse of hatred that emboldens deadly violence and blinds us from the truth of God’s deep and abiding love for each and every one of us, all made in God’s glorious image.
Members of the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ General Council are Sisters Patricia Siemen, OP, Prioress; Mary Margaret Pachucki, OP, Vicaress and General Councilor; Frances Nadolny, OP, Administrator and General Councilor; and Patricia Harvat, OP, and Elise D. García, OP, General Councilors.
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The Dominican Sisters of Adrian, a Congregation of about 460 vowed women religious and more than 200 Associates, traces its roots back to St. Dominic in the 13th century. The Sisters minister in 22 states and in the Dominican Republic, Norway, and the Philippines. The Congregation’s Vision is to “seek truth, make peace, reverence life.”