In just two minutes, the lives of many around the country were changed forever.

The shooting at Annunciation Catholic School took the lives of two children and injured 18 others on Aug. 27. Children were attending their back-to-school mass when shots were fired through the church windows into their pews.

The tragedy in Minnesota resonates with Catholic communities across the nation, and the Iowa City Catholic community, whose religion was targeted in a place of worship, is no exception.

The University of Iowa’s Newman Catholic Student Center holds daily masses and provides a gathering place for campus Catholics and Iowa City community members. For many students, news of the shooting was disheartening.

Julia Rotty, a first-year UI student and a Minnesota native who frequents the Newman Center, said being Catholic and from around the area of the shooting made the news especially jarring.

“It was shocking to hear,” she said.

Being far from family and seeing the event turn into national news made her reflect upon the people in her faith, especially considering how close it was to her home, she said.

Rotty said when she went home for the weekend, the shooting was mentioned during mass. She said, continuing to practice faith and community in a time of loss remains important.

“[I] definitely think [it’s good] to say prayers about everyone that was affected,” she said.

Angela Olson, head of schools at Regina Catholic Education Center, said the elementary, junior, and senior high schools had a pre-scheduled mass Wednesday afternoon. During the elementary school’s mass, the staff chose not to mention what had occurred earlier that day because of how young the student are.

The following day, Regina Catholic mentioned the tragedy in the morning announcements, and teachers are always encouraged to start class with prayer.

Olson said Coralville Rev. Chuck Adams asked if he could say something in front of the high school kids to help teachers manage breaking the news. During the high school mass, Olson said Adams mentioned what had happened in Minneapolis “carefully and intentionally,” in the prayers.

The administrator said some parents reached out to ask safety questions. She included reminders of what safety measures the school has in place in her weekly email to parents, such as keeping all doors locked and having visitors check in at the office. The school has a closed campus, meaning students cannot leave for free periods or lunch.

Regina Catholic has cameras installed, constant teacher supervision, and electronic door access so administrators can see when doors are unlocked or propped open on an internal network viewable on their personal devices.

The Newman Center and Regina Catholic fall under the Catholic Diocese of Davenport.

In a statement sent to The Daily Iowan, Diocese of Davenport Bishop Dennis Walsh wrote for the Catholic community to join in prayer for the safety and wellbeing of the staff as well as in solidarity for the victims of the Minneapolis shooting.

“We stand with the students, faculty, staff, and families of Annunciation Catholic School, affirming our commitment to the sanctity of life and the call to build communities founded on compassion and nonviolence,” the bishop wrote.

This story has been updated from a previous version to remove mention of the school’s emergency response plan.