NEW BRIGHTON, Minn. (OSV News) - Angie Punton of St. John the Evangelist in Little Canada came to New Brighton for a special retreat Jan. 12, particularly after contending with a deadly shooting last summer during an all-school Mass at her former parish, Annunciation in south Minneapolis.
"It sounded like the perfect opportunity to grapple with the evil that occurred and what good has come out of it," said Punton, who came with another former Annunciation parishioner and close friend, Madalene Nelson, 38, of Our Lady of Grace in Edina.
Titled "A Wounded Church: Finding Peace and Healing," the evening at St. John the Baptist in the suburb of the Twin Cities was arranged by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis as faith leaders recognized the need for healing felt by many, including those impacted by the Aug. 27 tragedy at Annunciation.
The shooting affected people across the archdiocese, including Holly and Andrew Coy of St. Patrick in Oak Grove who also attended the evening gathering. Andrew Coy said he has grown frustrated and angry over events in the world, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the shooting at Annunciation and the current heightened immigration enforcement efforts by the federal government in Minneapolis.
"Something came to a head," Andrew Coy said. "I grew angry and frustrated that these things keep happening. I started praying and asking questions."
Those questions led him and his wife to the Mass and a talk by Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, who is a former priest and bishop of the archdiocese. Bishop Cozzens emphasized that healing can come from Jesus during daily prayer.
Offering steps into deeper prayer, Bishop Cozzens said it is important to acknowledge one's feelings and relate those to God, to be open to receiving God's grace and then begin to live in the truth that God reveals. This allows one to walk in any struggle with a level of peace that only the Lord can give, Bishop Cozzens said.
But it isn't easy, and it doesn't always take away the pain, the bishop said.
"Trite answers won't help us in the face of evil," Bishop Cozzens said. "God does not will evil or death. Those came to the world through sin. He hates evil - he hates death. And yet God wills a world where these continue to exist so he can give the answer - love. It is the answer of his Son. It is unbelievable that God enters evil and takes it on himself. Of all the ways he could have done this, he takes that evil and he loves us to the end, through death to life. Rather than get rid of evil, he transforms it from within."
"Evil wounds us," the bishop said. "We carry the wounds and they affect us. Jesus allowed his wounds to become a place of life and grace."
Growing to understand this truth comes through daily prayer, Bishop Cozzens said. It comes through pouring out sadness and joy, pain, frustration and all other feelings in prayer to God, he said. Then God can slowly reveal the depth of his love and his constant presence, the bishop said.
"Love brings light to the deepest, darkest evil," he said. "In whatever evil, whatever darkness, it is not dark to the Lord. … I have to learn how to let the Lord into the dark parts of my life. Only in prayer, by presenting difficulties and struggles, so I can see the Lord is with me."
Andrew and Holly Coy said they would take Bishop Cozzens' talk to heart and continue to pray about the evil they encounter in the world and their own response. Holly Coy said it has been challenging during the increased immigration enforcement efforts because "the love piece is what I see missing in what is going on right now."
Nelson said the evening gave her "a little peace. It's hard to carve out private time to be vulnerable. Bishop Cozzens encouraged us to do that. It felt good to give it to God and be around other people, too."
Bishop Cozzens made clear that the cross is God's answer to suffering and death, Punton told The Catholic Spirit, newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
"It's the ultimate sign of love and goodness and hope. As hard as this tragedy (at Annunciation) is, and how difficult it is to understand the evil clearly present in the world," she said, "Bishop Cozzens reminds us to keep steadfast in our faith and daily prayer in this time of darkness. God will make all things good."
Caption: Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minn., addresses attendees at an evening retreat titled "A Wounded Church: Finding Peace and Healing" at St. John the Baptist in New Brighton, Minn., Jan. 12, 2026. (OSV News photo/Dave Hrbacek, The Catholic Spirit)
