Feb 17, 2008 9:00 am US/Central
NIU Community Gathers To Mourn, Remember
DEKALB, Ill. (CBS) ―
The Northern Illinois University community was gathering Sunday to say goodbye to the victims of the deadly campus shootings.
Steven Kazmierczak entered a lecture room at NIU's Cole Hall on Thursday and opened fire, shooting 22 people before taking his own life. Five of his victims died, 17 others were wounded.
CBS station WBBM-TV in Chicago reports that at church services all over DeKalb, people were pausing to hear messages of hope; messages that will bring them some kind of comfort.
We heard some of those words with parishioners at the Newman Catholic Center Sunday morning.
Fr. Addison Hart offered those listening a way to see beyond the tragedy on the n-i-u campus. He said encouraged people gathered at the church to look to their faith in Jesus Christ, a man who in biblical accounts was innocent like the victims of the shootings, but yet suffered senseless violence.
It's a message the congregation embraced.
Parishioner Alicja Czajka, an alumnus of NIU, said, "When the father talked about evil, the reason behind evil that's in the world, I think that it was very important to hear that."
Parishioner Patricia Galvan said, "Most people think that God is always behind our suffering, that we have done something. It was very important for us to hear that that's not the case. God loves us and god cares for us."
Also Sunday, at the Cathedral of Praise in DeKalb, the shooting victims were remembered at a special service dedicated to them and those injured in the shooting.
Lutheran Campus Ministry at NIUÂ will hold nightly vigils at 6:30 p.m. indefinitely.
Congregations in the victims' hometowns are also gathering. On Sunday, mourners in Forest Park will pay their respects to Catalina Garcia, one of the five NIU students killed in the attack.
A memorial fund has been set up for those impacted by the NIU shootings. Donations can be sent to:
NIU Memorial Fund
DeKalb County Community Foundation
2600 DeKalb Ave.
Sycamore IL, 60178
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
