Minneapolis School Shooting Highlights 730% Rise in Attacks on Christian and Catholic Institutions

The shocking mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School has cast a harsh spotlight on a rising wave of attacks targeting Christian and Catholic institutions. 

According to the Family Research Council, such attacks have increased by 730 percent since 2018. 

Resist the Mainstream reported Wednesday that 23-year-old Robert “Robin” Westman opened fire during the back-to-school Mass at the Minneapolis school, killing two children and wounding 17 others, most of them students.

The FBI is investigating the attack as a potential hate crime and act of domestic terrorism. 

In 2024 alone, the Family Research Council documented 415 hostile incidents targeting churches—including acts of vandalism, arson, gun-related assaults, bomb threats and other criminal behavior. 

Several notable attacks in recent years illustrate the scope of the problem. 

In South San Francisco, California, St. Augustine Catholic Church experienced a shooting that required a SWAT response. 

In Wichita, Kansas, St. Patrick Catholic Church was vandalized, with statues and candles destroyed and hateful messages painted across the walls. 

Memphis, Tennessee, saw Clayborn Temple, a historic black church, destroyed by arson. 

In Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, St. Teresa of Calcutta Church suffered an explosive detonation on its altar. 

The Minneapolis shooting has shaken religious communities citywide. 

At a press briefing, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) rejected “thoughts and prayers,” saying, “These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school. They were in a church.” 

Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki also weighed in during an MSNBC broadcast, stating that “thoughts and prayers… are not enough,” adding that such reflexive responses often substitute for meaningful action. 

Other Democratic leaders echoed the call for substantive policy measures.

Following the revelation that Westman was a trans-identifying man, Frey condemned the rise in anti-trans sentiment and urged the public not to use the tragedy to vilify the “transgender” community, instead of focusing attention on the religious communities directly affected by the attack.

He stated, “Anybody who is using this as an opportunity to villainize our trans community has lost their sense of common humanity.” 

Amid this controversy, many Catholics and Christians have been reflecting on their own vulnerability, highlighting the ongoing rise in attacks targeting their faith communities and the need for resilience and solidarity.

“As Christians, we will be persecuted, but we endure with our eyes on Christ, knowing His glory is greater than any trial,” Newsmax host David J. Harris Jr. wrote on X.

Others echoed similar sentiments, referencing Jesus’ warning that His followers would face persecution. 

“No one is greater than their master,” one user wrote. “Jesus warned us in advance that since He suffered, we will also be persecuted because we are His.” 

These reflections underscore a collective sense of steadfastness within the Christian and Catholic communities amid rising attacks.

Religious leaders stressed that faith remains a critical source of comfort. 

One local priest remarked, “When our community is under attack, prayer is not meaningless—it is refuge.” 

As investigators continue probing Westman’s motives, the rise in attacks against Christians and Catholics, coupled with politically charged responses, underscores a national tension between protecting religious communities and preventing future tragedies.

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