At the entrance to Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, a sign reads “We welcome our new Pastor, Father Hernan Cuevas on the weekend of July 2 & 3rd, 2022.” One day later, Cuevas found himself leading dozens of parishioners through those same doors and away from the town’s Fourth of July parade after a gunman opened fire.
On Sunday, services at the church began with prayers, a reading from Deuteronomy and a recollection of what transpired just blocks away from the church’s doors.
“I was so much looking forward to this Fourth of July parade, as your new parish priest,” Cuevas said. “This was our day. This was our day for all of us as a community to let our community at large know that we were a new united parish community of Immaculate Conception and St. James and ready to be a positive presence in our neighborhoods.”
