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Detroit — Local priests were asked "Where was God?" in the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre. A principal and counselor also offered support.

Msgr. Halfpenny

"If we needed evidence of the reality of original sin, this does it for me. But for hope, we look to the Cross, which we just venerated on Good Friday. If God can use the horrible death of his Son, His innocent Son, and bring something good out of it — and that is our salvation —then God's grace can be present in any horrible tragedy. I'm sure God's grace was present to the victims, the survivors, the wounded, the first responders and the families in Blacksburg, Va."

— Msgr. Patrick Halfpenny, pastor
St. Paul on the Lake Parish, Grosse Pointe Farms

"In the tragedy itself I would have a hard time finding God's presence, but in the aftermath the only place we can turn for comfort and strength is God. Because if we try to examine this just with worldly eyes, it can make no sense and there is nothing from which we can draw comfort."

— Fr. Ronald Browne, pastor
St. Gerald Parish, Farmington

Fr. Fox

"What we're seeing is the dark side of human freedoms which, like many other great powers, has incredible potential for good or for evil. I'm confident that we will see more clearly the presence of God in the outpouring of love and support that is sure to come in the aftermath of this tragedy. And I hope that we see the power of God acting through us in the building of a better society in the wake of all this violence."

— Fr. Charlie Fox, associate pastor
Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, Farmington

Fr. McCabe

"The mystery of evil is one of suffering. The hope that we have — with Easter and the Resurrection — is God can bring good out of an evil situation. And certainly our faith is not without meaning at this time…. People turn to their faith at a time like this. I pray that we learn from this."

— Fr. Robert McCabe, pastor at St. Suzanne/Our Lady Gate of Heaven, St. Mary of Redford, and St. Thomas Aquinas, all of Detroit

"We said special prayers for the  victims and survivors this morning in each individual classroom, and we looked carefully at our own lockdown policy again."

— Michealine Wiegle, principal
Immaculate Conception Ukrainian Catholic High School, Warren

 "It would be helpful for the parents to acknowledge (to their children) that there are people who have serious emotional or mental problems, and they can at times act in ways that make no sense and can be very destructive to others. Parents need to acknowledge that these things do happen. They certainly are the exception, not the norm. But there are people who have serious problems in their minds that cause them to act in ways in which they have no regard for the value of human life."

— Don Novak, trauma counselor and
a parishioner at Sacred Heart Parish, Grosse Ile.