Father Luke is the younger priest looking forward in the
photo. The letter below is from his sister …
My friends,
All of you, I am sure, have heard so much about the tragedy in
Newtown, CT. Many of you have received emails from me about my younger brother,
Father Luke Suarez, who is a priest at St. Rose of Lima parish, a Catholic
church just down the road from Sandy Hook Elementary. He, and his pastor,
Monsignor Weiss, arrived at the school within moments of the shooting, and have
been caring for the community ever since. The picture I have included was taken
at the school.
Father Luke has an impossible
task before him. His diocese is without a bishop right now…. Monsignor … is
personally devastated by the losses. The parish is very large…. The rectory has
received serious threats, and as my brother gave the homily Sunday at the noon
mass, the church had to be evacuated by SWAT teams. After experiencing identity
theft and online hacking incidents, he had to erase all of his internet
accounts. After a weekend of endless media requests, notifications and vigils
with heartbroken families, and little sleep, he now has two wakes and two funerals
every day, until the fourth Sunday of Advent. Father Luke has
not even been ordained two years.
My large family has been trying
to send Father Luke our love and support from afar, and one of my brothers was
able to visit with him briefly a couple times. All
he asks for is prayer.
I have been wracking my brain, trying to think of a way that our
beautiful, loving community could tangibly reach out to Father Luke, Monsignor
Weiss, and the St. Rose parish, to support them in this most awful of times. I
have sent many prayer requests, and I am asking for more prayers again. But I
also want to ask everyone to search their hearts, and if the Holy Spirit moves
you, please consider
sending one of your family’s Christmas cards to the rectory,
with a few words of love and encouragement. Here is his address:
Father Luke Suarez
46 Church Hill Road
Newtown, CT 06470
My brother has said over and over
again that without the prayer support he is
receiving, he could not keep going. And this week is only the
beginning. Everyone there is still in shock. Their peaceful home has been
desecrated by violence. They will need to live with this sorrow forever.
But in
our weakness is His strength. Grace abounds. Can you
help me carry him through this time of trial?
On a hopeful note, Father Luke did say that no media coverage has
even touched the deep, beautiful awakening of faith that has occurred there. Their
tiny church, where my children have received sacraments and where Luke was
ordained, has been full of people in prayer without ceasing since this tragedy
happened. Love is stronger than death.
Please feel free to share the address with your family, friends,
and community. An outpouring of love will sustain these good priests through
their impossible ministry–impossible on their own, but possible with God.
I am so grateful to live in this community. We are all so blessed with one
another. Every day, I see you all loving one another as Christ loved. Thank you
for letting me reach out to you now.
With humble appreciation
Father Luke Suarez's sister
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