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	Hudson Parish Prays through Its Grief By Steve Scott St. Paul Pioneer Press [Hudson WI] October 8, 2005 HUDSON, Wis. — The Rev. John Parr of St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Hudson acknowledged the pained hearts and souls of his congregation Saturday as they came to Mass for the first time since one of their former associate pastors was found responsible for two murders in the city three years ago. Parr, who was not a priest at St. Patrick's at the time of the tragedy, did not make specific reference to the late Rev. Ryan Erickson, who a judge said Monday most certainly shot and killed Dan O'Connell, who was a St. Patrick's parishioner, and intern James Ellison at O'Connell's funeral home in February 2002. Speaking from the assigned Gospel reading of the day, Parr likened the congregation to guests coming to a wedding feast with tattered garments that must be mended. "This past week and for many more weeks to come, the people of St. Patrick's must weave this garment … not out of whole cloth, but from the tatters of our hearts and souls," he said during his homily. "We must weave this garment out of our pain, the pain of grief for families, a grief they just can't find a name for and neither can we." He said Christ welcomed the broken-hearted congregation to the table of Holy Communion, where "the broken-hearted Lord (brings) hope out of despair and peace in your darkness." Parr encouraged parishioners to be united in prayer and to care for one another in coming months. At the end of the Mass, he also announced several responses to the tragedy: • A team of elders is being convened to "hear and see what needs" arise, and a representative of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis will assist them in dealing with the crisis. • A list of counselors will be provided to the congregation. • A new Parish Prayer of Peace was introduced and will be used in Masses, homes and parish gatherings for the next several months. Parr also encouraged parishioners to be honest in discussing their personal responses to the tragedy. Erickson was known to have supporters and close friends in the congregation. Parr also reminded the congregation that under Catholic teaching, all sacraments performed by any ordained priest are always valid — they are Christ's sacraments, not a pastor's. "We have one another and we have this Lord," Parr said as Mass ended. "It's going to be enough."
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