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Cathedral of St. Paul holds benefit concert for Annunciation victims
Hundreds of people filled the Cathedral of St. Paul Thursday night as several groups came together with music to honor those impacted by the Aug. 27 mass shooting at Annunciation Church and School. FOX 9's Leon Purvis was there.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A heartfelt evening unfolded Thursday night at the Cathedral of St. Paul as the community gathered to honor the victims of the Aug. 27 Annunciation Catholic Church shooting.
Concert unites community in hope
What we know:
The concert was titled, "United in Hope: A Memorial and Benefit Concert," hosted by Elegy James Biery, with Christopher Ganza on the organ.
The concert featured performances by the Cathedral and Saint Cecilia's Children's choirs, the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Attendees included church members, non-members and the Annunciation community. The St. Agnes Madrigal Singers and Minnesota Orchestra also performed, and Annunciation Church Pastor Rev. Dennis Zehren offered a reflection at the end of the program.
Donations from the event will aid rebuilding efforts, support families directly affected and assist organizations focused on recovery and safety.
What they're saying:
"I did it with a lot of help from Dr. Nick Landrum, who is Director of Music at Annunciation. Around the time we were thinking of doing a concert for Annunciation, he was getting outreach from all sorts of musicians. And so we put our heads together, and we said ‘Hey we’ve gotta do this.’ So here we are.," said Christopher Ganza, Director of Sacred Music at the Cathedral of Saint Paul.
Jackie Johnson, a Minneapolis resident, shared, "I think it's really important to keep talking to people, telling people, every time I tell people that’s my school, that’s my community, that’s where I grew up. I’ve been in that church 1,000s of times."
What you can do:
Admission was free Thursday night, but anyone attending was asked to give a freewill offering that will go to the Annunciation Hope and Healing Fund. That money goes towards families impacted by the mass shooting.
Sophia Forchas released from hospital
Why you should care:
Last week, Annunciation student Sophia Forchas was released from the hospital, nearly two months after being shot in the head during the attack. Doctors called her recovery "miraculous."
A crowd of supporters lined the sidewalk outside Hennepin Healthcare on Oct. 23 as Forchas was released from the hospital to celebrate her birthday. Forchas had been treated at HCMC and most recently was undergoing rehab at Gillette Children's.
Onlookers held banners reading "Happy Birthday Sophia" and "Sophia Strong."
Sophia was greeted with hugs, cheers and applause outside the hospital.
In a post on GoFundMe, Sophia's family said Thursday marked "one of the most extraordinary days of our lives" because Sophia was coming home. The post also thanked Sophia's medical team and everyone who played a role in her recovery.