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Annunciation tradition helps bring light into the darkness

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Published  August 29, 2025 6:33pm CDT
Annunciation Church and School shooting
FOX 9
Tradition at Annunciation brings light into the darkness

Tradition at Annunciation brings light into the darkness

A former student is keeping an Annunciation tradition alive to help bring light into the darkness. FOX 9's Corin Hoggard has the story.

The Brief

    • Heroes and helpers are providing light in the darkness after the mass shooting targeting children at Annunciation Church on Wednesday.
    • People have brought water and snacks for mourners over the last couple of days, but artistic helpers may lift spirits the most.
    • Chalk messages of hope now cover the gray boards where the shooter destroyed stained-glass windows and doors. And one of those messages is a school tradition — a Christmas song from Kermit the Frog, where he sees light shining from afar.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - There is some light in the darkness that fell over Minneapolis this week.

We heard about heroic students, teachers, police officers, and medical staff who all saved lives.

And we found people doing small and big things to help every single day.

Crossing out grief

Remember the names:

The burden of grief Annunciation Church and its community carry is reflected in the messages on two small crosses bearing the names of the children who died.

Harper and Fletcher. 10 and 8 years old.

The crosses represent their faith, and the flowers surrounding them are a show of support for their families and their grieving community.

Look for the helpers

Chalk it up:

Helpers brought hundreds of flowers, plus water and snacks for mourners.

But it’s the artistic helpers who may lift spirits the most.

"So if Annunciation taught me anything, it's that creation is the greatest act of love," said former student Grace MfInanga.

In the spaces where gray boards replaced bullet-ridden doors and broken stained-glass windows, Mfinanga and a Ukrainian exchange student added colorful messages of hope.

"These words are from the song 'Kermit's Christmas Wish,'" she said.

The green Muppet sang "I know there is a light. I have felt it burn inside. And I have seen it shining from afar."

"For a lot of people in this community, those words have a lot special meaning," Mfinanga said.

Why quote Kermit?

Finding light and hope:

The song has been a holiday tradition at Annunciation for decades, marking the Christmas season's beginning.

Mfinanga admits it’s hard to see that light right now, so she wanted to remind herself and her Annunciation family to remember the names — Harper and Fletcher — and look for the light.

"The reality is, if you don't have hope, there is no point to any of it," she said. "And so you just have to have hope. Even when it's really hard to find, you just have to find that reason."

Another poignant note from the song: Kermit’s wish is for everyone to have peace of mind and love, things the Annunciation community certainly deserves now more than ever.

Annunciation Church and School shootingMass ShootingsMinneapolis