Hundreds of people waited outside of the locked doors of Our Lady of Gudalupe Church in Sinton May 10 as Bishop Carmody led the Rite of Reparation to rededicate their church after their administrator, Father Shaji Varghese, was attacked there on May 8. During his homily, the bishop asked the people to pray for Father Shaji and his alleged assailant, David Rodriguez. As of May 12, Father Shaji was reported to be in stable condition in the aftermath of the attack, which included nine stab wounds to the neck area.

In a example of the church's prayerful response to violence within its own community, the people of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Sinton, Texas, gathered in prayer with Bishop Edmond Carmody May 10 for Father Shaji Varghese and his alleged assailant, David Rodriguez.

Father Varghese, administrator of Our Lady of Guadalupe, was stabbed nine times, beaten and kicked by the alleged assailant, after morning Mass at the church on May 8.

As of May 14, Father Varghese, 42, was reported to be in stable condition and had been moved to a private room after spending several days in the Intensive Care Unit at Christus Spohn Memorial Hospital in Corpus Christi. Rodriguez, 36, was arrested shortly after the attack and remains in custody in the San Patricio County Jail. Father Varghese, a native of India, has served at the parish for a year and a half. A press release issued by the Diocese of Corpus Christi stated that Rodriguez is "mentally disturbed" and is a parishioner of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

In his homily during the May 10 Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe, where the church was also rededicated due to the violent act that took place on the property, Bishop Carmody offered his sympathy, prayers and love to the people because of the traumatic experience they had suffered. He asked them to pray for both Father Varghese and Rodriguez, "that they both may be healed. We will bear no animosity towards anyone as it would separate us from the Lord."

He asked that the people have no feelings of animosity, repeating the words of Jesus to "Love one another."

The bishop also asked that the people remember Christ's words from the cross, "Forgive them Father, they know not what they do."

Because the church had been profaned by a serious act of violence Canon law requires that it be rededicated. The law states "Sacred places are violated by gravely injurious actions done in them with scandal to the faithful, actions which, in the judgment of the local ordinary, are so grave and contrary to the holiness of the place that it is not permitted to carry on worship in them until the damage is repaired by a penitential rite according to the norm of the liturgical books."

The reparation rite is to be celebrated as soon as possible, either as part of Mass or a liturgy of the word. Until that time no sacrament or other rite may be celebrated in the place. Among the crimes listed that bring about the desecration of a church is "a sinful and serious shedding of blood" which occurred in this instance. The rite of reparation is to be celebrated by the Diocesan bishop as was done in Sinton.

Before the Mass, hundreds of the parishioners and other supporters gathered under the trees and in the parish hall. The church doors were securely locked as Bishop Carmody greeted and consoled the faithful who arrived to participate in the Mass with the Rite of Reparation.

The bishop then opened the church doors and the congregation processed into a darkened church as the choir sang, "Sing a New Song unto the Lord."

After blessing water, the bishop processed through the dark church sprinkling the walls of the building, including the spot where the stabbing occurred as a sign of purification.

As he returned to the sanctuary the lights came up and the choir began a joyful rendition of the Gloria.

The church had been stripped of the common symbols. The altar was bare, the tabernacle was empty with its door open, and all the candles, altar linens and other altar appointments had been removed. There were no flowers on any of the altars.

Bishop Carmody began the public prayers, which asked " May the Father dwell in this House and look upon us with love."

He concluded his remarks by saying. "We have rededicated a holy place for a holy people. Welcome to your church, the Rite of Reparation has taken place. Now go forward a united community and do so with love." The congregation then broke into applause.

The altar servers then began to replace the candles, flowers, and altar linens for the Liturgy of the Eucharist and the rest of the Mass continued as usual.

Father Antony Varghese, no relation to Father Varghese, was assigned to serve at the Sinton parish until his predecessor has recovered.

Bishop Carmody has visited Father Shaji Varghese each day since the attack and said he is "doing very well" and that a "full recovery" is expected.

The bishop said he also had a brief meeting with Rodriguez after his arrest. "I assured him people were praying for him and asked the Lord to help him. After we prayed he gave me un abrazo (a hug) and asked for a blessing."