In a tragic turn of events, the warnings of Minnesota Catholic bishops about school safety were realized on August 27, 2025, when a gunman opened fire during an all-school Mass at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. The attack left two children, ages 10 and 8, dead, and injured 14 other students and three adults.

This tragedy came two years after the Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC) had repeatedly urged state officials to extend security funding and emergency preparedness resources to non-public schools, including Catholic institutions. Their calls followed the mass shootings at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, and the Covenant School in Nashville, emphasizing that all students deserve equal protection, regardless of the type of school they attend.

Despite these appeals, including a 2023 letter from MCC executive director Jason Adkins and independent school leader Tim Benz, no legislation was passed to provide non-public schools with security funding. The proposed support—$44 per student—could have been used for reinforced entrances, resource officers, and other safety measures.

Although Minnesota enjoyed a $17.6 billion surplus in 2023, related bills stalled in the Legislature, and Gov. Tim Walz declined to call a special session. While Walz’s office stated he cares about student safety and has signed funding bills for public schools, none applied to non-public institutions.

Archbishop Bernard Hebda called the proposed Safe Schools legislation “commonsense,” emphasizing that while no law can eliminate evil, action could have made a difference.