Notre Dame College President J. Michael Pressimone, Ed.D., and his wife, Cathy, shared a prayer with the College and extended community following the most recent mass shooting at a school in Texas.
The Pressimones have 12 children, including four who are still in K-12 schools.
In a show of support for all those who are mourning in Texas and throughout the world, the president has designated that the flags on campus will fly at half-mast for the immediate future.
The Pressimones’ message to the College and community and their prayer in its entirety follows:
Dear colleagues and friends,
Many of you who will read this message have school-age children like me and Cathy. We send our children to school thinking that they will be safe. All too often in our country, we are grieved that gun violence, whether it be spurred by mental illness or hatred, rears its ugly head again and again. I am heartbroken.
First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers go out to those grieving families in Texas who will not be able to say good night to their children. Next, we pray for those who were witness to the carnage that they might find a way to put this horror behind them. Lastly, we pray for some sense of sanity to envelop the debate about gun control in the United States.
At this moment in our history, when so many in our country are claiming allegiance to a pro-life agenda, it seems deeply ironic that many of those people also embrace an unfettered gun culture that can take life away in the blink of an eye. I struggle to find meaning and understanding.
As a show of support for those grieving, I have requested that our flags be flown at half-mast for the foreseeable future.
Please pray with us and may we find ways at the College to help build a culture of peace and non-violence. Let perpetual light shine upon those who have died and may their souls and the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.
Mike and Cathy
The Sisters of Notre Dame USA also released a statement and issued a call to action following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The complete text follows:
The Sisters of Notre Dame of the United States are saddened and heartbroken by yet another mass shooting that took the lives of innocent children and adult educators. We grieve with the community of Uvalde, Texas, and the country in this senseless tragedy’ We condemn this and similar acts of violence in our society.
As a community of faith and action we call for deep reflection and research on the root causes of this kind of violence. We also call on legislators, advocates and all people of good will to enact and support common sense gun control laws. We recommit ourselves to advocacy for strong gun control laws, especially on assault weapons.
We pray for the victims and their families. We also demand more action to prevent this kind of horrible violence, which has happened far too many times in the United States.
We are dedicated to promoting justice and peace and the common good, including the protection and care for the most vulnerable in our communities.
May 2022
About Notre Dame College
Notre Dame College is a private, Catholic, liberal arts college in South Euclid, Ohio, committed to teaching students how to make a good living and live a good life. Founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1922, the College offers bachelor’s degrees in 30 disciplines plus a variety of master’s degrees, certification programs and continuing and professional development programs for adult learners on campus and online. For more information, visit NotreDameCollege.edu.