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By Julie Asher
WASHINGTON (CNS) – After four University of Idaho students were brutally murdered on Nov. 14, the Catholic Church serving the university and the community of Moscow, Idaho, is mourning and praying with the victims, their families and friends. , and the wider community, said the pastor.
“Our peace and joy on our tight-knit campus was disrupted and everyone was affected,” said Father Chase Hasenoerl, pastor of St. Augustine Catholic Center, which serves the university’s campus.
“Our ministry will continue to serve our students, faculty and families with opportunities for prayer, comfort and support during this time of loss and danger,” Hasenoehrle said in a Nov. 21 statement to Catholic News Service.
Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Hana Kernodle and Madison Mogen were stabbed to death by unknown assailants in their rental home in the Idaho Panhandle community of about 25,000 residents.
“We lift their souls with prayer,” said the priest, whose statement was published on the Catholic Center’s website at https://vandalcatholic.com.
News Latah County Coroner Kathy Mabbutt said each victim suffered multiple stab wounds from a “very large knife.” He said they were stabbed to death in their beds and may have been sleeping.
“Someone would have to be very angry to stab four people to death,” Mabbutt said, adding that there were no signs of sexual assault.
More than a week after their bodies were found, police appear to have few concrete leads, despite following hundreds of tips and dozens of tips.
Chapin, 20, was from Conway, Washington. He didn’t live at home, but spent the night with Kernodle, his 20-year-old girlfriend from Avondale, Arizona. Chapin was a triplet and his brother and sister are also students at the University of Idaho.
Goncalves, 21, was from Rathdrum, Idaho, and Mogen, 21, was from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
The three young women were inside the home but shared two other roommates who were unharmed during the attack. But police said they didn’t call 911 for nine hours.
The university has planned a candlelight vigil on the evening of November 30. Father Hasenoerl told the CNS St. Augustine parish community that he “plans to fully participate” in the vigil, and that he will immediately receive a walking rosary beforehand and celebrate Mass afterward.
The Catholic Center encouraged those “in particular need of spiritual counsel or prayer” to speak with one of the priests or campus staff.
“Also, we pray for all law enforcement officers that they may be directed to bring speedy justice. Finally, we pray for the repentance and conscience of the guilty(s),” said the priest.
“The many messages of sympathy and promises of prayers we have received from other Catholic campus priests and our alumni have been gratefully received,” added Father Hasenoehrl. “The faith of our community is strong and we rely on God’s mercy and grace.”
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