WMVO Good Times Great Oldies
A Mount Vernon Catholic School has released a statement regarding safety amid a deadly shooting at a Mass in Minnesota Wednesday.
Below is a statement sent to parents and guardians of students from Saint Vincent De Paul School in Mount Vernon. Under that is a statement from the Superintendent of Catholic schools
Dear Saint Vincent de Paul School Families:
Attached you will find a letter from our superintendent regarding the horrific incident yesterday at a Catholic School in Minnesota. Safety is and will remain a top priority for our school, students and community. We have partnered with Mount Vernon Police to have police presence during pick up and drop off. If you see them in the area, please do not be alarmed. We are also taking extra precautions during mass times, by locking down the church after mass begins and positioning support staff near the doors to maintain a secure building. Our teachers met yesterday to review our safety protocols, and we have several meetings scheduled over the next weeks with our safety committee to review our current practices. Please continue to pray for the families and staff of Annunciation School and please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions.
Respectfully,
Mrs. Cecelia Pitt, Principal
Mrs. Colleen Wendt, Assistant Principal
August 27, 2025
Dear School Staff, Teachers, and Parents,
As we begin the school year, today’s horrific shooting in Minneapolis is especially difficult
for all of us in the Office of Catholic Schools and for our school leaders, and the effects are
felt in every parish and school throughout the diocese. We are brokenhearted for all those
affected whose lives are forever changed.
I’m writing to assure you that the Office of Catholic Schools takes the safety of your
children and our staff as a TOP priority. We have received questions regarding our safety
protocols from local media. Please be assured that we do not publicly share those
protocols as yet another layer of safety at each of the schools. All schools routinely
evaluate and reevaluate safety protocols. We work very hard to put into place every
possible safeguard for the protection of the loved ones whom you have entrusted to our
care.
Please join me in praying for the victims, students, and school staffs in the Archdiocese of
St. Paul and Minneapolis. May God grant the comfort that only he can provide during this
tragic time.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Adam J. Dufault, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Catholic Schools