Good evening everyone,
There was an incident in the parish office today, Monday November 27th. A disgruntled young man who wasn’t getting the kind of help he wanted first berated the parish staff on the phone and then showed up to do it in person.
During the in-person confrontation, the man threatened to come back with a gun and ‘shoot the place up.’ The police were called and local law enforcement now have surveillance footage of this man.
After the incident, the church was closed, and the adoration chapel and school were informed so they could be extra careful and on the lookout.
At this hour of the evening, I do not know whether the suspect is in custody or whether the danger has passed. Out of an abundance of caution, and after consulting with law enforcement . . .
The following steps will be taken for Tuesday November 28th:
The parish office will be open but the doors will be locked. We can see who is coming and let them in.
Open Doors Disciples will be. There will be 6:45am Mass but the church will be locked afterward.
Chapel adorers will not allow guests inside who do not have the code without first identifying them on the video camera.
The children of Queens School will be kept indoors tomorrow before, during and after school. Though this incident occurred on the other side of the campus, we are complying with the wishes and recommendations of public safety officials.
The Let it Shine Children’s Choir rehearsal will go on as planned, but only because the doors are already locked while it is occurring.
These measures allow more time for the police to work the leads in this case and to keep our students, staff and parishioners safe in the event of an emergency.
Queens is still a very safe place to pray, worship, learn and play. We take the safety of every visitor to our campus very seriously. Let’s pray for our community and let us be vigilant in making sure people still feel safe coming to church.
