Bishops offer prayers for victims, including 11 children, after Super Bowl victory parade shooting

By Lauretta Brown

(OSV News) -- Two local bishops offered prayers for victims after a shooting left one person dead and more than 20 people injured at the conclusion of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory parade in front of Union Station on Ash Wednesday.

Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, told KMBC News that they're treating 12 patients, 11 children and nine with gunshot wounds.

“Let’s offer our prayers for the victims of today’s shooting after the parade and rally and their loved ones,” Bishop James V. Johnston of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri, wrote in a message shared on Facebook. “On this first day of Lent, we turn to God for mercy and healing for our broken world.”

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, called for unity in prayer following the shooting in a statement Wednesday evening.

"As we continue to process the details of the tragic shooting that concluded what had been a unifying celebration for our city, let us now remain united in prayer for healing, both physically and mentally, for the victims, their families, and all who are understandably shaken by the heartbreaking event near Union Station," he wrote. "We express gratitude for the swift actions of first responders and emergency personnel. May God guide the minds and hands of the medical professionals providing aid to the wounded. We humbly seek the Lord’s grace for the healing of all those who were impacted by this tragic event and we pray for peace and unity to envelop the Kansas City community during this difficult time."

The Kansas City Fire Department said there are three victims in critical condition and five in serious condition following the incident. Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said two suspects have been taken into custody.

"We are holding in prayer all those impacted by the shooting this afternoon near Union Station,” the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph wrote in a Facebook message. “We also pray in gratitude for the first responders caring for the victims and returning safety to the area."

The Chiefs players and their families are reportedly safe, and many took to social media Wednesday afternoon to express their prayers for the victims and their families as well as gratitude for the first responders.

Chiefs quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes posted on X that he was "praying for Kansas City."

Drue Tranquill, a linebacker for the Chiefs, also posted asking, "please join me in prayer for all the victims in this heinous act. Pray that the doctors & first responders would have steady hands & that all would experience full healing."