by Carol Zimmerman
WASHINGTON (CNS) – Catholic leaders are calling for prayer and action in response to the May 7 school shooting inside a charter school near Denver. One teenager died and eight other students were unded.
“Action is needed to attempt to reduce the frequency of these heinous acts,” said Florida Bishop Frank J. Dewane of Venice, Fla., chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
In a May 8 statement, he also called for prayers, urging Catholics around the country “to pray for the dead, injured and for the loved ones left behind and for healing in the community.”
“This shooting reminds us yet again that something is fundamentally broken in our society when places of learning can become scenes of violence and disregard for human life,” he said, adding that Americans should “deeply examine why these horrific occurrences of gun violence continue to take place in our communities.”
The shooting took place at STEM School Highlands Ranch in Highlands Ranch, Colo., a suburb of Denver located in the Diocese of Colorado Springs. The two shooters, teenagers who attend the K- 12 school, are now in police custody.
Kendrick Castillo, an 18-year-old senior whose last day at school was to have
been May 10, was killed in the classroom gunfire. His father, John Castillo, told reporters his son was a hero and he wants people to know about him.
A student who witnessed the shooting told NBC’s “Today” show that Castillo “lunged” at one of the shooters to save others.
Castillo, who loved robotics, attended Notre Dame Elementary School in Denver and he and his family went to Notre Dame Parish where Castillo was an altar server, and usher. His father is a member of a Denver Knights of Columbus Council which posted photos of the father and son at a Knights event on their Facebook page.
Another student who joined Castillo in trying to stop one of the shooters May 7 was Brendan Bialy, who told reporters that Castillo was an unstoppable bowling ball.
“Basically, when he gets moving, there’s no stopping him,” Bialy told several Denver media outlets May 8. He also said his friend showed no hesitation.
Another friend, Cece Bedard, told The Denver Post that she and Castillo went to Knights of Columbus activities with their dads who were members.
She told the newspaper that Castillo wanted to join the Knights “because he wanted to help not only people, but his community. He was the bravest soul I’ve ever met and never even cared what others thought because he was too busy finding ways to make you smile.”