PROVIDENCE, R.I. (OSV News) ─ The violence that erupted at the Brown University's campus Dec. 13 was more than a national headline; it was a deeply personal tragedy that struck at the heart of the Providence community.
The Saturday shooting at the Ivy League University, which claimed the lives of two students, Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov and Ella Cook, and injured nine others, prompted a response from Providence Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski, who offered prayers for all affected by this tragedy.
The violence unfolded just after 4 p.m. during the university's final exam period in the Barus and Holley building, which houses the School of Engineering and the Physics Department. After a days-long manhunt for the shooter, authorities said late Dec. 18 that the suspect was found dead that night at a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire. He had taken his own life.
Identified as Claudio Neves Valente, 48, he was a former Brown University student and Portuguese national, according to CNN. He was a doctoral student from fall 2000 to spring 2001. He was also suspected in the fatal shooting of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, near Boston, on Dec. 16.
As of mid-afternoon Dec. 18, the seven Brown University shooting victims still hospitalized are now stable, said hospital officials. The other two victims were discharged earlier.
"As are many, I am deeply saddened and troubled by the senseless shooting today at Brown University in Providence," Bishop Lewandowski said in a statement after the shooting. "Let us unite in prayer for those who lost their lives, for the injured, for the Brown University community and all affected by this tragedy."
"May God continue to guide our elected officials, law enforcement, and first responders as they work to keep everyone safe. The Diocese of Providence offers its resources, clergy and personnel, and charitable assistance wherever needed. May God bless us all and may Our Lady of Providence keep us in her care."
Gaudete Sunday ─ the third Sunday of Advent, from the Latin word meaning "rejoice" ─ is meant to be a joyful shift toward Christmas for Catholics. Yet, for the congregation attending the Saturday vigil Mass Dec. 13 at Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Providence, a few short blocks from where the shooting took place, that theme was dramatically challenged by the sound of sirens wailing in the background.
The news reached the pastor, Father Joseph Escobar, via a text message from a parishioner shortly before the 5 p.m. Mass. He chose to share the developing tragedy with his congregation.
"There were a lot of loud gasps," Father Escobar told Rhode Island Catholic, Providence's diocesan news outlet. "Some had seen police cars and ambulances on their way in, but didn't know what was happening."
In his homily, acknowledging the difficult truth the community was facing, Father Escobar encouraged his congregation to seek solace in their faith.
"In my homily, I tried to tie to Gaudete Sunday that in the midst of turmoil and crisis we still have the joy because that joy comes from our faith in God who is with us," he explained. "We pray that they apprehend those responsible for this tragedy, and we pray for the victims and their families. We can't allow ourselves to be paralyzed by these things, but nonetheless, we have to stay vigilant."
The mood among the mood for the Brown/Rhode Island School of Design Catholic Community, or BRCC, was anything but joyful on Sunday, Dec. 14.
"It is sadly ironic that this is the day we light our third Advent candle, symbolizing hope," said Dominican Father Justin Bolger, BRCC chaplain, during his homily. "When dark purple is infused with light, it turns pink, and today's pink candle is meant to celebrate that hope. As we gather today, we still celebrate the light of God, even in this darkness."
For a state so far unaccustomed to this type of violence, the events of Dec. 13 took a subject that many had become desensitized to seeing it in national headlines and made it tragically real.
It hit especially close to home for BRCC members, however, as one of the victims was a regular at evening Mass and the various events hosted at the Catholic Center during the year. Sophomore Ella Cook may have been Episcopalian, but she was "a very dear friend" to the Catholic community.
"Despite being from another tradition, Ella was very involved with the BRCC," Father Bolger explained. "She had been spending time here since she got to the university a year and a half ago -- coming to Mass with her Catholic friends, going on retreat with us, joining us for prayer and activities. I remember being impressed with her right away: She was very sweet and affable, but also a very courageous young woman who truly loved her faith and who was committed to living it out."
The Mass on Dec. 14 was offered for the repose of the souls of Cook and Umurzokov, the other fatality. A table with a photo of Ella surrounded by candles and religious statues stood at the front of the Catholic Center. Several students stopped at the memorial table to pray on their way out, with a few remaining behind after Mass to say a rosary in front of it.
The shooting has sent shockwaves throughout Rhode Island.
The Dominican Province of St. Joseph (which serves the Brown/RISD Catholic Community) said they "feel this attack acutely and entrust the University and Providence communities to the maternal care of Our Lady of Sorrows."
Both of Rhode Island's Catholic colleges, Providence College and Salve Regina University, also released statements of solidarity with their colleagues and neighbors at Brown.
Deacon Timothy Flanagan, of St. Teresa and St. Christopher Parishes in Tiverton is a physician who teaches at Brown Medical School. He made the trip to campus on Sunday to attend Mass with the community.
"I just really wanted to be with the students," he told Rhode Island Catholic. "They're all feeling terrible pain, deep sorrow, and confusion after such an awful, heinous act. It's a tight community, however, and they all care about each other."
Deacon Flanagan's point was illustrated by the sheer volume of students who turned out for Sunday's Mass, which far exceeded typical attendance on Sunday evenings.
"We see people seeking rituals when faced with circumstances they can't understand -- even in a secular climate, you'll see people engaging in rituals like candlelight vigils. So, it makes sense for them to come to the Catholic Mass, the greatest ritual and most powerful prayer of the church."
Seeking understanding is natural in the face of evil, says Father Bolger, although the solution isn't always clear.
"I visited the injured students at Rhode Island Hospital recently," he said. "One of them just asked me ‘Why? Why did this happen?' And I didn't have a good answer. Something this unjust doesn't make sense."
In times of darkness, Father Bolger said he finds solace in music, including in the gospel standard "Poor, Wayfaring Stranger."
"We are all ‘poor, wayfaring strangers' as we travel through this world," he explained. "For some of us our life on this earth may be long. For some, like Ella, it might be short. But Christ, who we follow, was no stranger to the darkness. At this time of year, we remember that he abandoned the bliss of heaven for the darkness of the stable and the manger because he loved us.
"And Christ's love is the only thing that can light the darkness we encounter in this world."
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Daniel J. Holmes is a correspondent and Laura Kilgus is associate editor for Rhode Island Catholic, the news outlet of the Diocese of Providence. This story was first published by Rhode Island Catholic and distributed in partnership with OSV News.
