Annunciation Catholic school partially reopens after shooting

Nearly three weeks after the Aug. 27 shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis left two children dead and more than 20 people injured, the school has begun a partial reopening, ABC News reported. 

From Sept. 16 to 18, the school welcomed students of all grades back for activities focused on “support, connection, and play,” a spokesperson for the school told ABC News. 

ABC News also cited a Sept. 14 media statement that said that counselors, support staff from the Minnesota Department of Education, and an increased security presence remain on campus to help families.

“The church has not reopened and we’ve not yet announced a timetable for that event,” the school spokesperson told ABC News. 

In the statement, school officials said they "have spent the past week preparing for a safe, supportive resumption that is focused on healing and connection. We recognize that, while we walk our path together, some members of our community walk at different paces and with other steps.”

There is no “one-size-fits-all answer” to the schools’ partial reopening, but there is an “amazing embrace of love and support from the larger community,” the spokesperson told ABC.

The reopening comes as the community continues to grieve. Hundreds gathered Sept. 14 to honor 10-year-old Harper Lillian Moyski, one of the two students killed, according to Minneapolis ABC station KSTP. In an obituary shared Sept. 14, Harper’s family described her as “the heart of our family, full of the brightest light, and the best big sister in the universe.” 

A funeral for the second victim, 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel, was held Sept. 7.

Twelve-year-old Sophia Forchas, who suffered a gunshot wound to the head, remains hospitalized. Her family issued an update on her status Sept. 12, CatholicVote reported. They announced her condition had been upgraded from critical to serious and offered their thanks for “the prayers, love and unwavering support from across the globe.”