UVALDE, Texas — The power of faith has brought people together more than ever one month after the mass shooting at Robb Elementary.
Father Matthew Deleon is among the several ministers continuing to pray with impacted community members in Uvalde following Texas' deadliest school shooting.
“People are looking for a place to hold onto something and they’re used to holding onto their faith. We want to be there to respond to that,” Deleon said. “We’re trying to support people through the gift of our tradition.”
Deleon recalls rushing to the emergency room in Uvalde alongside fellow faith leaders, witnessing the young souls who survived the mass shooting on May 24 that left 19 children and two teachers dead.
“Of course, they had been bandaged and their physical needs tended to, and every single one without hesitation, without having to think about (it), said, 'Would you pray with me?' or would you pray for my friend or pray for my teacher or whoever,” Deleon said.
While grieving families wait for answers surrounding the shooting at Robb Elementary, Deleon is praying for peace and healing for a community he believes has become stronger through tragedy.
“It’s breathtaking watching the faith of the people, how rooted in their faith they are, how strong they are, how resilient they are," he said. "Of course, understandably in a state of really great collapse and devastation, but in the midst of all it, (they're) really being sustained by their faith.”
Counseling and other services remain available at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Uvalde and the Uvalde Together Resiliency Center for immediate and long-term needs. For more information, click here.