GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – May 19, 2022 — It is with deep sadness that we join our hearts to the people of Buffalo and, especially, to the families and friends of those who were injured or killed in the hate-crime shooting in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday, May 14, by an 18-year-old man. Such acts of violence are horrific, unacceptable, and shockingly commonplace, and they must stop. Our elected leaders and the electorate – every one of us – must seriously address the two issues that brought this hateful act to our sisters and brothers of Buffalo: the sin of racism and the apparent easy access to military-style guns. The refusal to have honest conversations about these issues that will allow us as a nation to be converted into a people who truly desire peace is at the root of our inability to end this violence.
As Catholics, we continue to live in the Easter season when we remember Jesus Christ, the one who died for all our sins so that we might know His peace. Our loving God, in whose image we believe every human being is created, raised him from the dead, so that we might know the fullness of life and of peace. May we as a nation live into this truth and find the courage to turn despair into light, death into life, hatred into love.
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“The Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids condemn the systemic sin of racism. Hate and discrimination diminish us all.
“The Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids stand against harmful rhetoric and actions that result in fear and evoke hatred in our cities and neighborhoods. Any conversation or activity that contributes to division, hatred, violence, or disrespect of another human being hurts all of us as a human family.
“We, as Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids, see first the common ground of our humanity and allow our differences only to enrich, not to disparage. In all of our undertakings, we will notice first and foremost the human person before us.”
Dominican Sisters~ Grand Rapids 2015 Statement Against Racism, Hatred, and Violence