Members of the Saint Anselm Community have united to support the victims and friends from Lewiston, Maine where a deadly shooting killed 18 and injured more. 

When they first heard of the shooting on Wednesday night, seniors Kerrigan Stevens and Ambrose Ward said they spent the entire night together calling their loved ones back home and watching the news.

Stevens, a resident of Lewiston, was on the phone with her sister when the news broke. She tried to remain calm for the sake of her family, but she said she felt numb. “You see it happen in other places, but you never think it will happen at home, then when it does your body goes numb, you don’t know what to say, you don’t know what to think.”

Ward, who lives a town over from Lewiston in Leeds, immediately called his parents who had not even heard of the shooting. He also made contact with friends to ensure their safety. 

“One of my friends who is a single mother was working at the restaurant and she got escorted out. One of our mutual friends’ grandmothers was working at the hospital,” he explained. None of their loved ones were hurt, but the entire community was shaken as it went into lockdown. 

“A good friend of mine since elementary school is an ER doctor and was also working. It’s not something we ever expected to see,” Stevens added.

Both said it was shocking to see the places they grew up, the bowling alley they frequented as kids or the restaurant they enjoyed with family, in the news and swarmed with police. “It didn’t feel like home anymore,” Ward said.

Although many people around them offered support, Stevens and Ward said they were “disappointed” to receive an email from Joseph Favazza, president of Saint Anselm College, announcing a new dance institute less than 24 hours after the shooting. “To see an email about a dancing institute when at least 18 people died last night in our hometown… it just felt like the wrong situation,” Stevens said.

The dance announcement was sent on Thursday at 1:50 p.m. and the “View from the Hilltop” newsletter was sent on Friday at 8:49 a.m. Both were sent by Valeria Diaz on behalf of President Favazza. The campus community received an email from President Favazza that offered words of support to those affected by the shooting on Friday at 10:43 a.m. 

In a statement to the Crier, President Favazza said, “our hearts go out to the people of Lewiston in the wake of this horrific tragedy. Saint Anselm College has deep ties to the Lewiston community and includes students and alums from that region and Lewiston also is the starting point for Road for Hope each August. We pray that fear and grief will be met with healing and God’s grace and mercy.”

Since Lewiston is where Road for Hope begins the 130-mile charity walk, many students feel close ties to the town.

“In addition to the connections some of our students and staff have to the community, the people of Lewiston hold a special place in our hearts because they provide a sense of welcome, care and hospitality for our Road for Hope participants,” said Greg Gecconi, director of Campus Ministry.

Abbot Mark Cooper O.S.B. of the Saint Anselm Abbey has personal ties to the area.“I grew up in Freeport, Maine about 20 minutes from where the shootings took place, and have been to Lewiston many times. As a result, as soon as I heard of this tragedy it was immediately very real for me. I can’t even begin to imagine losing a loved one in such a terrible way. Obviously the prayers of all of us are offered for the victims and for their loved ones,” he said.

Cecconi said that the Office of Campus Ministry is working on a way to honor those who died at the upcoming Luminaria Mass on Nov. 5.

“Our prayers are only one way we are called to be a people of faith when faced with tragedy and injustice. We must also be people of reflection, healing and action. How are we, individually and together, tangibly reducing violence in the world,” he said.

Stevens and Ward are both leaders in the Saint Anselm Chapter of Alpha Lambda Delta. The group is actively working to organize a way for students to support the Lewiston community and the first responders involved in the shooting. More details will be announced as plans develop.