Religious sisters’ streetside rally in St. Paul targets assault rifles

Sister Mary Calder felt moved to participate in a rally supporting a ban on assault rifles at the state and federal level Aug. 28 held outside of her residence, Carondelet Village in St. Paul. From her spot along the curb, the 90-year-old Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet held a sign that read “Ban and Buy Back.”

Hearing car horns and seeing drivers wave or give a thumbs up, Sister Mary said she thought most people driving past the rally on Fairview Avenue appeared to support the dozens of people who participated that afternoon.

One goal was to raise awareness of the issue, said Sister Mary, whose ministries before she retired included serving as a teacher in elementary schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and in school administration, including as associate principal at Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul. Another rally goal was “doing something to move people,” she said.

“We have to start someplace, and we just have to do something,” Sister Mary said. “And when we’re this old, we can’t do a whole lot, but we can do what we can do.”

Organizing the event were retired Father John Forliti, 86, and Mary Kruser, 82, also residents of Carondelet Village, a senior living center run by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Participants added their voices to those of national groups such as Minneapolis-based Women Against Military Madness, Father Forliti said. If more people speak up, “we’re likely to see more action,” he said.

On June 23, four bishops leading committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops submitted a letter to members of Congress stating support for “a total ban on assault weapons, a ban on ‘bump stocks,’ limitations on civilian access to high-capacity weapons and ammunition magazines, and a more appropriate minimum age for gun ownership.” It also expressed the USCCB’s support for measures including universal background checks for all gun purchases.

The bishops’ letter followed up to their similar letter dated June 3, in which they referred to several recent mass shootings and wrote: “There is something deeply wrong with a culture where these acts of violence are increasingly common. There must be dialogue followed by concrete action to bring about a broader social renewal that addresses all aspects of the crisis, including mental health, the state of families, the valuation of life, the influence of entertainment and gaming industries, bullying, and the availability of firearms. Among the many steps toward addressing this endemic of violence is the passage of reasonable gun control measures.”

In July, spurred by a series of mass shootings, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an assault weapons ban. The Senate has not taken action on the bill.

Since a federal ban on assault weapons expired 18 years ago, people have purchased millions of them, Father Forliti said. The National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade industry group, has estimated that about 20 million assault weapons were produced or imported into the U.S. from 1990-2018.

“Our culture has been moved, shaped into a gun culture,” said Father Forliti, who favors stronger background checks and reinstating the national assault rifle ban.

Former Minneapolis Police Chief John Laux, an 80-year-old parishioner of St. Olaf in Minneapolis who is retired from decades of law enforcement, attended the rally at Father Forliti’s request.

“This group is fired up,” Laux said. “They want something to happen. And they will keep pounding away until they get their message out.”

A follow-up rally outside Carondelet Village was to be held Sept. 29 at the same location. This time, organizers have invited students from St. Catherine University and the University of St. Thomas, both in St. Paul, to join residents and neighbors.

Gun violence has also spurred a Minneapolis parish to action through educational efforts. After the May 24 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that took the lives of 19 students and two teachers, Our Lady of Peace in Minneapolis hosted a prayer service. Parishioner Leah Kondes, a member of Moms Demand Action, a group advocating for gun safety and violence prevention in Minnesota, addressed gun reform after the service.

The parish also was to host a “Be Smart for Kids” workshop Sept. 28 for parents to learn gun safety tactics, and is planning a book discussion 12:20 p.m. Oct. 16 with James Densley, co-author of “The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic,” which will focus on the phenomenon of mass shootings in the U.S. and evidence-based strategies to stop them.