Twin Cities Catholic churches tighten security after Annunciation shooting

Catholic parishes across the Twin Cities are locking their doors, hiring security guards and reshaping routines to keep worshippers safe in the aftermath of the shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church.

As students attended their opening Mass at St. Thomas More Catholic Community last week, tighter security was in place. The St. Paul parish has long kept doors locked outside of Mass times and installed an intercom system. Now only two entrances remain open during services, both watched by ushers and monitored by cameras.

The school also shifted its routines. Student processions from the school building to the church are now more tightly managed, and parents have received regular safety updates.

“I think most families are grateful that we’re taking it seriously,” said the Rev. RJ Fichtinger, pastor of the parish on Summit Avenue in St. Paul.

St. Thomas More and several other churches know these changes could transform how congregations gather for worship.

The Annunciation shooting, during the school’s opening Mass, left two children, 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski, dead and 21 others wounded, shattering the sense of sanctuary that has long been one of the key attributes of a church.

Since then, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis issued new safety guidance, urging leaders to work closely with law enforcement, tighten visitor protocols and consider a stronger security presence, said Director of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment Paul Iovino.

Minneapolis-based Unparalleled Security has received nonstop calls from churches and schools in the Twin Cities requesting guards and other safety measures since the Annunciation shooting, owner Christopher Forest said.

“We have some schools and churches that are asking for 24-hour coverage, some that are asking for 40 hours a week during their school services,” he said.

For many churches, including St. Thomas More, the guidance confirmed what they were already grappling with.

The Church of St. Albert the Great in Minneapolis’ Longfellow neighborhood now restricts access to the front entrance and one side door during services, the Rev. Joseph Gillespie said.

St. Boniface Catholic Church in northeast Minneapolis is debating whether to end its practice of unlocking all doors during Mass.

“It really does pain me that we even think about locking the doors during a Mass time,” business administrator Cece Ryan said. “Church has always been a sanctuary for me, but it’s something that we have to look at to keep the people inside the church safe.”

The Basilica of St. Mary has long employed security staff and, in 2023, hired Joe Cybert as director of security.

The Rev. Daniel Griffith, pastor of the basilica, said in a statement that Cybert is leading staff and law enforcement to keep its parishioners safe, including “strengthening staffing and technology resources.” New steps include locked classroom doors and guards during faith formation classes, according to a Wednesday email sent to parishioners.

St. Joan of Arc Catholic Community in south Minneapolis’ Regina neighborhood is leaning on a detailed security plan created more than a decade ago.

The document covers “just about every contingency you can imagine,” parish administrator Dennis Heaney said, but the Annunciation shooting prompted staff to revisit and recommit to it.

The plan includes locking doors during services and regular consultation with parishioners who work in law enforcement.

“It’s easy to take it for granted,” Heaney said. “But then something like the Annunciation situation happens, and that is the wake-up call for us again.”

The dilemma of faith and security is not new. Jewish congregations nationwide overhauled their security protocols after the 2018 Tree of Life Synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh that killed 11 worshippers. Armed guards, cameras and volunteer training became standard.

David Kaplan, CEO of the St. Paul Jewish Federation, said the tragedy “changed everything” for how the community thinks about safety.

“It’s hard not to notice that there are police when you walk into a synagogue,” Kaplan said. “It’s hard not to notice the security protocols. Anyone understands why it is important. But it’s especially hard to explain to our kids why this is necessary.”

Some parishes, like St. Olaf in downtown Minneapolis and the Cathedral of St. Paul, have chosen to keep their doors open during the day, relying on ushers, security, cameras and increased police visibility.

“We feel strongly that the cathedral should be open,” said the Rev. Joseph Johnson, Cathedral of St. Paul pastor.

Faith leaders say the greatest challenge is ensuring safety without stripping the sense of sanctuary.

Kaplan said Jewish congregations have struggled with the same dilemma, though he believes they have found a middle ground: “The two priorities are not mutually exclusive.”

Gillespie of St. Albert the Great said the resilience that helped his parish through the unrest following George Floyd’s murder is carrying it again.

“If anything, more people seem to be showing up for Mass this past week,” Gillespie said. “It’s like wanting to go someplace to try to hear some level of consolation, or some message of hope.”

St. Joan of Arc also saw unusually large crowds, Heaney said. Two Sunday Masses held in the parish gymnasium were standing-room only.

More than 300 students and their parents filled the pews of St. Thomas More on Wednesday for the first all-school Mass of the year. It was a gathering marked by grief for Annunciation and concern for the safety of their own children.

“There were a lot of emotions,” said Fichtinger, the pastor. “As we were gathering as a community and entering into prayer, that process was healing.”

Even with heightened security, St. Thomas More tried to impart as much normalcy as possible for the families. Police officers on hand for security reasons greeted children at the church doors with stickers.

“We’re very conscious that people’s relationship with the security personnel, particularly with the police, can be fraught with tension, good, bad or indifferent,” Fichtinger said. “And our hope is to try to still make this a place of peace.”

_____