06/07/2026
On Saturday evening, while many of our faithful were gathered at Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral for the celebration of Holy Mass, shots erupted just blocks away during the 53rd Annual Old West End Festival. What should have been a joyful summer evening celebrating one of Toledo's most beloved community traditions was suddenly shattered by senseless violence.
As current reports indicate that twelve people were wounded, including two who remain in critical condition, I join the people of our community and the entire Diocese of Toledo in praying for all who were injured, for their families and loved ones, and for all who witnessed these traumatic events. We remember especially the children, families, elderly residents, and the hundreds of innocent festival attendees whose sense of security was violated by these tragic acts.
Together with the people of the Old West End and our nineteen-county Diocese, I lament and decry the indiscriminate violence that has so deeply affected this neighborhood. Once again, gun violence has taken center stage in our community, leaving suffering and fear in its wake. Every act of violence is a failure to recognize the God-given dignity of the human person. In his recent encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV reminds us that "human rights are inviolable, since they are ‘inherent in the human person and in human dignity’." Every human life is a sacred gift from God. Violence that disregards the dignity of the human person wounds not only those who are physically harmed, but also families, neighborhoods, and the entire community. Such acts stand in direct opposition to our shared responsibility to recognize, respect, and protect the sanctity of every human life.
For those of us who live in the Old West End, this tragedy is literally close to home. The Old West End is a neighborhood rich in history, faith, culture, and community. This morning, however, what is normally the final day of the festival, buzzing with activity, was marked by an eerie quiet following the cancellation of the weekend event's remaining activities.
Despite this, our faithful still gathered this morning at Rosary Cathedral for Sunday Mass on this Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ and then carried Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament through the streets of the Old West End in the annual Eucharistic procession. The Lord of Life was borne through the very neighborhood that had witnessed violence only hours before. In that sacred procession, we proclaimed a message radically opposed to hatred and violence: a message of peace, unity, love, and respect for every person.
While these tragic acts have shaken our neighborhood, they have not shaken our faith in humanity, nor have they shaken our faith in the Lord of Life. We remain committed to building a culture in which every person is valued, protected, and treated with dignity: a culture not of death, but of life.
I pray for the swift recovery of those who were injured, for comfort and healing for all who have been traumatized by these events, for those who bravely offered assistance together with the first responders, for the conversion of the perpetrators, and for wisdom and perseverance for law enforcement officers as they continue their investigation. May those responsible be brought to justice, and may our community find strength in coming together in peace and hope. In this moment and going forward, may we never lose sight of the truth that every human life is sacred, that every person possesses God-given dignity, and that every act of violence diminishes us all.
