Statement on Covenant School Shooting

WARWICK, RI (March 28, 2023) – The following is a statement from Mr. Mark R. DeCiccio ’03, Principal, on the Covenant School shooting:

The school shooting that unfolded yesterday in Nashville, Teneessee is yet another unspeakable and horrific tragedy. There’s hardly any other words to say. The prayers of our entire Bishop Hendricken family are with the Covenant School and Nashville communities — especially the victims’ families — today, tomorrow, and all the days moving forward.

Evil like this needs to stop.

As a school, our top priority remains the safety of our students, faculty, and staff. To this end, I want to reaffirm how seriously we take safeguarding our campus and community, including our trusted partnership with the Warwick Police Department.

We all have a role in sustaining a safe environment, however. As a reminder, if you, or your child, see something out of the ordinary or concerning, please say something to an adult you trust. Report it to a teacher, administrator, counselor, coach, or moderator.

Most importantly, if you or someone you know needs someone with whom to talk, our School Social Worker, Laura Zaniol, LICSW, is available at lzaniol@hendricken.com, via Microsoft Teams, or in her office.

In closing, as we mourn with the nation, I share this prayer with you:

Dear Lord, 

We come to You with heavy hearts. We ask for Your healing as we continue the mission for peace within our communities. This mission calls for an end to violence throughout our land and in our hearts.

We ask for a peace that “surpasses all understanding and that you guard our hearts and minds in Christ” (Philippians 4:6). 

May we hold the pain, confusion, anger, and sadness in our hearts, and in our prayers as we support one another. 

We pray for eternal rest for those who have died. We pray for the consolation of their families and friends. We pray for healing and peace in our world. 

Amen. Live, Jesus, in our hearts. Forever.

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CONTACT: Christian Kabbas
Director of Communications & Marketing
ckabbas@hendricken.com
401.889.5395