Archbishop Naumann said he was ‘heartbroken to share the tragic news’ that Fr. Raj ‘Arul’ Carasala of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Seneca was murdered on Thursday by an Oklahoma man.
SENECA, Kansas (LifeSiteNews) -- Kansas City Archbishop Joseph Naumann is urging prayers for both a fatally shot priest and his killer.
Someone shot Father Raj “Arul” Carasala in his parish rectory yesterday, as reported by KCTV 5. He later died in the hospital.
Carasala was an American citizen who was ordained in India before coming to the United States. He served as pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Seneca, Kansas. A suspect is reportedly in custody.
“In this time of sorrow, let us entrust Carasala to the mercy of God and lift up in prayer his family in Cuddapah, India, his parish community at Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Seneca, and all who mourn his passing,” Archbishop Naumann stated. “Let us also pray for the perpetrator, that God may touch and transform his heart.”
Naumann said he was "heartbroken to share the tragic news."
“Fr. Carasala was a devoted and zealous pastor who faithfully served our Archdiocese for over twenty years, including as dean of the Nemaha-Marshall region,” the archbishop stated further. “His love for Christ and His Church was evident in how he ministered to his people with great generosity and care. His parishioners, friends, and brother priests will deeply miss him.”
KMBC 9 reported that 66-year-old Gary Hermesch from Tulsa, Oklahoma, is being held in custody.
The Knights of Columbus also held a Rosary rally on Thursday night to pray for Carasala. Father Joel Haug urged the faithful to support one another and be honest during the aftermath. "I give you permission to cry," Haug said.
Republican Senator Roger Marshall also sent his condolences.
"I am heartbroken by the tragic loss of Father Arul Carasala due to a senseless act of violence," he wrote on X last night. "I am praying for Father Carasala’s family, friends, and parishioners as they grieve. We must find who did this, and justice must be served."Kansas has been the focus of anti-Catholic activity in recent weeks. Satanists planned to hold a "black mass" inside the state capitol but were relegated outside last Friday. A brave Catholic man rushed into the crowd of satanists to consume the Blessed Sacrament, which had been thrown on the ground by the leader of the group. Video appears to show satanist leader Michael Stewart attacking the man.
Naumann, meanwhile, held a Holy Hour of Adoration followed by a packed Mass with around 400 people at nearby Assumption Church.
Stewart, 42, was later arrested after entering the Kansas capitol and punching a much younger, smaller man in the face twice after he tried to take his booklet while Stewart attempted to dedicate the building to the devil, which police had forbade him from doing, as LifeSiteNews previously reported.
“What I do not understand is why we are giving our Capitol as a venue for what truly is hate speech,” Naumann said in his homily.
He rebuked the group behind the event, the Kansas-based “Satanic Grotto,” saying that they “present their abortion advocacy as part of their fake religion so that they can claim religious rights are being violated by any efforts to provide protection to the unborn and their mothers.”
“It’s sad, those who are trying to desecrate the Capitol today, desecrate symbols of faith – Bibles and crucifixes,” he said, adding that “this is a sad state of life for them to be in.”
Ahead of the "black mass," someone desecrated a church in Wichita, Kansas, as previously reported by LifeSiteNews.
