On Wednesday, Aug. 27, 18 people were injured, and two children were killed at Annunciation Church during mass, according to the Associated Press. Kristin Moertem is an Annunciation parent and has been aparishioner of over 30 years. “I heard the gunshots, the loudest sound of gunfire I’ve ever heard in my life. And it came from this [the church’s] direction,” she said.

During the mass shooting, kids and adults alike performed acts of heroism. Darby Voeks is a youth minister at Annunciation. “I was called by our other youth minister, Ellie. She works here and was lying on top of [the] kids during the shooting,” Boeks said. “I was shocked, didn’t believe it was real.”

He arrived at the scene within a few minutes, seeing students rushing into the gym.

After hearing shots Moertem rushed in her car over to the church. She said she saw the whole street full of emergency responders and soon after children running with their teachers, asking for their parents. “[W]atching these kids run out of fear and the parents run towards something where they don’t know what they’re going to encounter was difficult to witness,” Moertem said.

Initially information was scarce and fear spread through the neighborhood. “I was scared that it could have been a group or it could have been something that could spread in the neighborhood,” local resident Kristin Zinda said.

The shooter acted alone and committed suicide on the scene, according to the AP.

“Our hearts and our thoughts are with this horrible tragedy that happened to a close community that is really highly connected to The Blake School, our students, our faculty, our families,” upper school director Maren Anderson said. “[I wanted to] provide space to those that have been impacted by this event… and [for Blake to] come together in a moment like this to face that darkness… I have been working with Lisa Sackreiter… to think of ways that we can connect with people at Annunciation.”

Brian Spratt, a teacher at St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Savage, Minnesota, remembered waking up on Thursday. “I woke up, and I was hoping it was a dream,” he said.

It was not. “There’s gonna be a lot of hard days [ahead],” Spratt said.

Moertem, a parishioner, community member, and therapist, was at the church volunteering on Thursday morning. “When I first got here… came into the flower scene, and I was overcome… [and] breathless. It was just a gesture of love and community,” she said.

She started to see the first signs of recovery when the kids from inside the church came back on Thursday morning. “Those same kids this morning were with their friends, looking into the same stained glass windows where the gunman was shooting. And that was their way of beginning to recover,” Moertem said. “Kids can do this, they will do it, and the example of kids getting after it this morning was amazing.”

According to Moertem and volunteer and community member Annique London, the support from the community has been overwhelming. “People coming with pickup trucks of flowers, stuffed animals, balloons, and therapeutic books for kids to take with them. It has been outstanding, as awful as this has been,” Moertem said.

London recalled a similar scene throughout the day. “[It has been] a nonstop 12-hour display of people bringing flowers, teddy bears, gifts, notes. We’ve even received arrangements from other schools that have had school shootings, like Uvalde, Texas,” London said. “People reclaiming this space is theirs and being able to come here without fear [is vital].”

Voeks asked for people to tell the story of the community, not the shooting. “It revealed the character of the community…We’ve had parents volunteering here for 12 hours,” Voeks said. “There have been heroes that we will never know the names.. They’ve made food, they’ve cared for kids, they’ve prayed, they’ve initiated prayers, circles, they’ve helped kids process their trauma.”

Voeks looked to his faith for the path towards reconciliation. “God’s gonna illuminate the next step, that we have a God who draws near to the broken-hearted,” he said.

As for Moertem, she believed, “this might change something.”

This story was originally published on Spectrum on August 30, 2025.