June 14, 2017
I am profoundly saddened
by the tragic shooting at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park in Alexandria earlier
this morning. Today I call on the faithful in the Diocese of Arlington and all people
of good will to join me in prayer for Rep. Steve Scalise and the others who
were wounded in this senseless attack. May the Lord grant them swift healing
and consolation. As we pray for God’s mercy, we also ask Mary, our Mother, to intercede
for us, so that our world will know the peace of her Son.
Today as the Church
invites us to begin a novena
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, I ask Catholics of our Diocese to pray the novena
with a specific intention for peace.