The St. Bonaventure community is horrified and heartbroken by the senseless shooting that took 10 lives at a Buffalo supermarket this afternoon. We ask everyone in our community to keep the families and friends of those killed today in their thoughts and prayers.

As outraged and disgusted as I am, my thoughts tonight especially are with our Black students and community members, who shouldn’t have to deal yet again with the torrent of emotions you must inevitably feel as another hate crime is perpetrated against people just because of their skin color.

It’s hard to take comfort in much at an unimaginable time like this, but we need something to cling to and the first line of our Franciscan Prayer for Peace is worth keeping close to our hearts, today and always:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Peace and all good,

Dr. Joseph Zimmer
Acting University President