Statement from the Bishops of Long Island Regarding the School Shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Today, we mourn the tragic loss of 19 children and two teachers who were killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. May they be welcomed into God's heavenly Kingdom and may their families feel the embrace of our Lord who will walk with them in their sorrow.

Our hearts break for these innocent children and educators who have become the latest victims of gun violence in our nation. As dutiful citizens, we had a responsibility to protect these children from harm. Yet again, our lawmakers chose to prioritize the financial support of the NRA and the gun lobby over the lives of the innocent. These tragedies occur no where else, and yet, we have accepted this brutality as the American way of life. This must end.

May our loving God of justice and peace inspire us and all those in power to repent for the sin of violence that plagues our nation and kills our children. May the Lord God swiftly guide us to a path of healing and peace, where life is prioritized above all else.

Please hold these children, teachers, their families, emergency responders, and the community of Uvalde in your prayers. But above all, prayerfully and deliberately share the love of Jesus Christ. Love, genuine, unconditional love will always conquer hate.

The Rt. Rev. Lawrence C. Provenzano
Bishop of Long Island

The Rt. Rev. Geralyn Wolf
Assistant Bishop of Long Island

The Rt. Rev. Daniel Allotey
Assisting Bishop of Long Island

The Rt. Rev. R. William Franklin
Assisting Bishop of Long Island

Additional Statements and Resources

Episcopal Church leaders respond to gun violence in Uvalde - Office of the Presiding Bishop

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and other church leaders offered prayerful and practical responses to the May 24, 2022, mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

Watch the Video Resources to Respond to Gun Violence

Resources from Bishops United Against Gun Violence

Bishops United Against Gun Violence is group of more than 100 Episcopal bishops working to curtail the epidemic of gun violence in the United States. Bishop Provenzano is an active member.

Access Resources

Prayers Requested - A Letter to the Diocese After the School Shooting in Uvalde

Words of outrage are not enough to express our hatred of this evil done to little children who simply went to school this morning. Expressions of sorrow scarcely touch the depth of families' grief tonight. There is nothing we can say today to comfort the parents, siblings, and grandparents whose lives were left in ruins by this evil violence.

What we have to offer is ourselves. To turn ourselves, our hearts and minds, to those who are suffering in Uvalde - to reach out our hands to lift up and to extend our arms to embrace - this is what we have to offer, following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, and following him in whatever ways are available into the pain and brokenness of our brothers and sisters in Uvalde and at St. Philip's Church. We have received power to love and to resist hatred."

Read the Full Statement

Bishops' Statement on the Uvalde Mass Shooting - Episcopal Church in Connecticut

"The circumstances of the Uvalde shooting are strikingly reminiscent of our own Sandy Hook tragedy. So much of yesterday’s shooting are strikingly similar to those of December 14, 2012: a lone young male gunman, the shooting of a family member of the gunman on the way to the mass shooting, the killing of scores of innocent children in an elementary school, and the death of an adult teacher trying to protect the children. The facts bring back the awful memories and feelings of ten years ago. Trauma is real, and the trauma that we all felt from Sandy Hook has surfaced again with the realities of yesterday's horror.

Read the Full Statement