Bishop Armando Ochoa made a grand entrance into Saint John's Cathedral Sunday morning. He then began mass by addressing the terrible school shooting back east.
“Our hearts are in sadness for those families in Connecticut,” said Rev. Armando Ochoa.
Parishioners sought comfort in this group setting as they dedicated a moment to send healing thoughts across the country.
“Even though it's not close to home, it's definitely close in our hearts with our own nieces, nephews, children and grandkids,” said Jenn Bartlett, a parishioner.
“We’re keeping them in our prayers daily and hourly and our hearts are broken,” said Nancy Bartlett, a parishioner.
“We hope that god will take them into his arms and look after them forever and their families too,” said John Harker, a parishioner.
Meanwhile at the Islamic Cultural Center of Fresno, tears were flowing as folks in the community showed up to create cards which will be sent to Sandy Hook Elementary.
Those writing words of encouragement included two children, 9-year old Abbas Dadawalla and 10-year old Meeros Khattaie.
“You feel bad for those and you want to help those that have been killed and you just want to do their prayers and you can't do anything else,” said Meeros Khattaie.
“We just hope that Allah grants their wishes in heaven and gives them peace so they can have a happy life,” said Abbas Dadawalla.
Two fathers of small children showed up as well. They feel the pain of the grieving families, so they wrote messages of hope and peace.
“Our prayers are with the parents who are affected and we hope they can survive and come out stronger,” said Tashir Bashir.
“It's really hard for them at this time, but our heart and spirit is with them and hopefully they'll make it through this,” said Hassam Bashir.
If you would like to send a card or letter to the survivors, send it to the address below.
Sandy Hook Elementary School
12 Dickenson Drive
Sandy Hook, CT, 06482
