A year later Short began a consulting company that would develop the dioceses\u2019 Guardian Ministry program. One of the goals of the ministry is to have trained volunteers ready to protect parishioners in an emergency during the time it takes for law enforcement to arrive at a scene, Short said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not making them into police officers, but certainly capable defenders that can step in for that amount of time to preserve life is the primary reason, but hopefully just prevent things from happening,\u201d Short said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GuardianMinisters05-1024x683.jpg\")
A guardian minister stands watch during an Our Lady of Fatima service in Fort Worth on June 5, 2025. Some volunteers are placed as greeters and ushers while others guard more visibly in the church parking lot outside the parish. (Courtesy photo | Juan Guajardo, North Texas Catholic)<\/p>\n
Walking into the parish, you might not initially notice volunteers are there, Sewell said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe blend into the background. That\u2019s kind of what our goal is,\u201d he said, adding that some ministry members serve more covert roles like greeters or ushers.<\/p>\n
The ministry addresses a \u201cgrowing need\u201d for security at churches, said Eric Warden, who serves as a team lead and instructor for the ministry. In August, a shooter opened fire during a Mass marking the first week of school at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, killing two children<\/a> and leaving several injured. In September, an attack<\/a> at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Michigan left four dead and others wounded.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cToo many people sometimes are reactive: \u2018We don\u2019t need it. We don\u2019t need it.\u2019 And then something happens, and it\u2019s like, \u2018Well, we should have had something in place.\u2019\u201d Warden said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hate crimes with a\u00a0religion-motivated\u00a0bias account for 20% of\u00a0reported\u00a0incidents from 2015 to 2025, according to the\u00a0FBI crime data explorer<\/a>. As perpetrators of such criminal acts have become more overt over the years, the ministry is changing some of its tactics, Short said.<\/p>\n Some members of the ministry may sport vests when outside on the parking lot or walking about the exterior of the church as a more visible way to demonstrate the parish has armed security on duty.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re changing our tactics in a sense of becoming a lot more overt, especially on the outside of the church, so that we can just deter something from ever happening, or if we do, we can pick it up outside in the parking lot, never have anything happen in the church,\u201d Short said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Guardian Ministry has over 580 volunteer guardians, Short said. He added that many Catholic parents are reaching out about how to get involved with the program after the Minnesota shooting.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0Looking ahead, he hopes to double the number of members to cover the entire diocese.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur thing is just not waiting and hoping, but really just identifying those folks and empowering and equipping them,\u201d Short said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sewell is professionally retired but still uses his experience as a firearms and basic tactics instructor in preparing the next generation of guardians as a ministry co-leader.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, it\u2019s a calling. I feel like this is what I\u2019m here for,\u201d Sewell said. \u201cAnd so I pass that skill on to others so that they themselves can hopefully pass it on to someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n