When Prayer Was Met With Violence: Leadership Lessons for a Broken World
Last week, our hearts were shattered by a tragedy that should never have happened. At Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, children gathered in prayer…innocent, faithful, safe in the presence of God…when their sanctuary was violently invaded. An armed assailant opened fire through the windows, shooting children as they prayed, before taking his own life.
Officials investigating the August 2025 shooting have called this an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime against Catholics. The 23-year-old left behind disturbing clues that violence was coming; writings and videos filled with racist and antisemitic slurs, expressions of hatred toward Christians, Mexicans, Black people, and President Trump. He shared that he admired other mass murderers, and investigators said he was “obsessed with the idea of killing children.”
The details are horrifying. The reality is unbearable. And yet, for the families whose children were taken, this nightmare is now their forever.
A Mother’s Heart
As a parent, my heart breaks in ways I can hardly put into words. Watching children recount the terror was gut-wrenching. And the photograph of a mother running barefoot, shoes in her hand, captured by Richard Tsong-Taatarii of the Star Tribune, seared itself to my heart. I could feel a fraction of her fear and desperation, yet I know that anything I could imagine paled in comparison to what she was actually feeling. She could have been any one of us and those could have been our children.
Some may wonder how such evil could strike when children were gathered in prayer. The truth is, prayer does not shield us from every act of violence in a broken world, but it does give us the strength to endure it. That is why this is not a reason to pray less, but a reason to pray more. And it does not matter what name you call God, or how you choose to pray…what matters is that we lift our hearts together. Prayer for the families whose hearts are broken, prayer for the healing of our communities, and prayer for a world so desperately in need of love over hate. Prayer is not weakness. It is strength. It is where hope is born, and it is how we honor the lives lost.
A Broader Crisis We Cannot Ignore
This tragedy is also a stark reminder of the broader mental health crisis in our country. Hate like this does not spring from nowhere. It festers in loneliness, untreated illness, isolation, and radicalization. While we may not have the power to stop every act of violence, we do have the power to address mental health where we live, work, and lead.
Leaders cannot afford to look away. Mental health affects every community, every business, and every team. When left unaddressed, it costs not only lives but also trust, connection, and the very fabric of our workplaces.
What Leaders Can Do
This is not just a moment to grieve, it is a call for leaders to take responsibility for the environments we create. Every choice we make as leaders shapes the culture of our organizations. Here are three ways we can respond:
Show compassion in action. Take the time to listen, to support, and to let people know they matter. A caring culture builds resilience and trust.
Address mental health directly. Ensure that people have access to resources and know they are not alone in facing stress, anxiety, or personal challenges. When leaders take mental health seriously, it strengthens the whole team.
Build cultures of respect. Set the standard that kindness, civility, and professionalism are non-negotiable. A respectful environment leaves no room for hate to take root.
As a parent and a leader, I see this tragedy as a reminder that while we cannot solve every societal issue, we can take steps in our own circles of influence. We can build workplaces where people feel safe to grow and belong. We can choose to meet anger with compassion, division with unity, and despair with hope. And in doing so, we honor the lives lost by refusing to accept a world where hate has the last word.