Some parents of the Annunciation Catholic Church shooting victims had the chance to speak with Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance during their visit to Minneapolis on Wednesday.
It was an emotional moment of explanation and a call to action after Lydia Kaiser’s parents met with the Vances.
A GoFundMe account says Lydia Kaiser was hurt while protecting a younger student and was hospitalized in serious condition. Her father, Harry Kaiser, is Annunciation Catholic School’s gym teacher.
Children’s Minnesota shared this information on Lydia Kaiser’s condition on behalf of her family:
“Lydia sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) due to the impact of a bullet during the Annunciation Church and School mass shooting. On August 27, she underwent brain surgery to remove bullet fragments and underwent a decompressive hemicraniectomy, a critical brain surgery to alleviate the swelling and reduce the pressure on her brain caused by her injury. Today, Lydia is making remarkable progress in her recovery. She will continue care at Children’s Minnesota.”
Click here to watch the Kaisers’ full statements.
Leah Kaiser’s letter
Hello. My name is Leah Kaiser. I am Lydia Kaiser’s mother.
I have given a lot of thought about speaking publicly and have decided I have something to say.
First, I want to say to Jackie, Mike, Jesse and Molly, my heart hurts for you and for your pain of losing your beautiful children, Harper [Moyski] and Fletcher [Merkel]. Harry and I and so many others are with you in your grief.
I want to thank Father [Dennis] Zehren, Principal [Matt] DeBoer, and the teachers for protecting our little ones. And the amazing first responders and hospital staff for bringing us to safety and treating our injuries.
All of us — moms, teachers, you reporters and vice president — we all have an obligation to use this moment, as Principal DeBoer said when he quoted an African proverb: “When you pray, move your feet.”
Vice President Vance, you have enormous authority, please use this moment to move your feet and transcend our political divides to promote peace, and unity and hope. This is what the people of the United States will hold you accountable to. This Annunciation community is a force of good in the world and we invite you to be the same.
On the sidewalk in front of the boarded-up windows of the church, someone wrote the prayer of St. Francis, which says:
Make me an instrument of your peace.Where there is hatred, let me bring loveWhere there is injury, pardonWhere there is despair, hopeWhere there is darkness, lightAnd where there is sadness, only joy.
That’s it. That’s all I wanted to say.
The parents of Lydia Kaiser, one of the students hurt during the Annunciation Church shooting, speak by
WCCO – CBS Minnesota on
YouTube
Harry Kaiser’s letter
Mr. Vice President,
Thank you for coming to see Lydia. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for my kids to meet a vice president. And for the sake of Harper Moyski and Fletcher Merkel and Lydia and Sophia [Forchas] and all my students, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity of having your ear for a moment. We disagree about so many things. We both know both sides, and all the talking points we fall back on.
But on just this one issue of gun violence, will you please promise me as a father and a Catholic that you will earnestly support the study of what is wrong with our culture that we are the country that has the worst mass shooter problem?
We were at Mass, singing about being called to act with justice, love, service and humility. Will you please promise to pursue, despite powerful lobbies, some common sense, bipartisan legislation as a starting point, so we can come out of our corners and find the values that we share so that this time some progress is made?
Thoughts and prayers haven’t been enough. Many policies have been dismissed without even being studied or tried. It’s so complicated. I don’t claim to have the answers, but we have to commit to looking. Then we can feel good about defending life.
If one thing changes for the better, perhaps Fletcher’s and Harper’s deaths and all the injuries and destruction might bring about even more unity, love and light than I have already seen this past week. One law, one executive order, one policy. You can call it the “Annunciation Bill.” Then I’ll be able to look Lydia and Sophia and all my students in the eye and say I tried.
Sincerely,
Harry Kaiser
Vice President Vance recognizes the calls for change
“There’s a strong desire from across the political spectrum to do something so these shootings are less common,” JD Vance told reporters on Wednesday.
Before meeting with the Kaiser family, the Vances — who are both Catholic — laid flowers at the memorial outside of Annunciation Church. Officials say the couple also visited its sanctuary where the shooting occurred and were met with protesters nearby. The visit continued with a private meeting with the parents of Merkel and Moyski, the children killed in the attack on Aug. 27.
“These parents opened up their lives, opened up their hearts. They told me about their kids. They told me about their families. They told me about the community supporting them,” the vice president said.
As a father of three children, JD Vance explained how he’ll honor the families.
“By being a better dad, and hugging my kids tight tonight and making sure they know their dad loves them. Because there are two families that aren’t going to get that opportunity ever again,” he said.
Click here to find ways to support the victims and their families.
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