A "Mass for the Soul" was celebrated Tuesday night for the souls of three longtime parishioners at Our Lady Help of Christians in Newton, Massachusetts, following the heartbreaking news that they had been found dead. died in their home in what the local district attorney's office said was a mass murder that killed three people at once.
Gilda D'Amore, 73, her husband Bruno D'Amore, 74, and Lucia Arpino, 97, Gilda D'Amore's mother, were found dead in the bedroom of their home the following Saturday morning when the couple didn't go to church to prepare for their 50th wedding anniversary and 10 a.m. Mass.
All three have attended services at Our Lady Help of Christians Church in Newton for decades, now a branch of the Sacred Heart Church in Newton.
“They are the salt of the earth,” Father Dan Riley, pastor of the church, told CNA Tuesday, adding that all three are very involved in parish life.
Boston Cardinal Sean O'Malley issued a statement Tuesday calling their deaths "brutal and senseless murders" that they "will remain in our hearts as we I accept this unimaginable loss.”
“They lived their Catholic faith proudly and served the Church,” he added.
Details regarding the massacre were revealed in court on Tuesday. The Office of the Medical Examiner, which carried out the autopsy on Gilda D'Amore, ruled the cause of death as homicide from about 30 blunt and pointed injuries to her head and face. , neck and upper extremities.
The autopsy of Bruno D'Amore and Lucia Arpino was scheduled for Tuesday.
Newton resident Christopher Ferguson, 41, was arrested and charged with murder, two counts of assault and assault with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury and theft in connection with deaths without he pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to his charges in Newton County Court during an appearance on Zoom.
Ferguson is being held without bail.
Following the autopsy of Bruno D'Amore and Lucia Arpino, additional charges may be brought, the Middlesex County District Attorney's office said in a statement Monday.
Police said in their statement that at this point the killing "appears to be a random act."
Riley said that D'Amores and Arpino were "wonderful people" who were "very involved in the life of the parish."
“They are the best version of Catholic Italian Americans you can believe,” he added.
Paul and Ginny Arpino, parish staffers and cousins of D'Amores, sent an email to the parish that was shared with CNA asking for prayers "for them, especially for their three children." of them and their five grandchildren.”
The email states that Gilda D'Amore, whom Arpinos calls "Jill," takes care of the flowers in the church and the decorations for the liturgical seasons.
“My aunt spent hours and hours looking after our church,” the email said.
“Bruno is known for his loud voice and outgoing personality, and as 'chef' he prides himself on his burgers at parish picnics,” the email said. know.
Lucia “never missed Mass at 10 a.m.” until COVID-19, the email said. The email said she and her husband, Alberto, had sat on the north end of the church for more than 60 years.
“Lucia will be especially remembered over the coming weekend of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Festa as she faithfully walked in that procession through the streets of Nonantum in her 90s,” Arpinos wrote.
Riley told CNA that parishioners are shocked and filled with grief but are supporting each other with "deep faith that Jesus is risen and they are with God."
“We grieve, but with hope, as the Bible says,” he added.
Cardinal O'Malley said in his statement that he is in Rome and will offer Mass for D'Amores and Arpino at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.
“As priests, we serve people in a time of great loss and tragedy. Often, words are not enough to help family and friends deal with the loss of a loved one. We look to God for answers,” he said.
“We seek to understand. Often, we simply cannot understand what has happened. But our faith has lifted us, and in this time of great pain, we know that God is always with us,” added O'Malley.
“They love Christ and the Church,” he said of D'Amores and Arpino.
Cardinal O'Malley also said that parishioners at the parish cooperate well with Pastor Riley. Therefore, the parish staff; and the entire Newton community will also be remembered in prayers.
“We thank the parish community of Mary Help of Christians and the surrounding Catholic communities for supporting and caring for each other. With God's help, we will remember the gift of Gilda, Bruno and Lucia's lives."
“Lord, grant them eternal rest, and may the eternal light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through God's mercy, rest in peace. Amen.”
Mass was celebrated at 6:30 p.m. at Our Lady Help of Christians Church at 573 Washington St. in Newton on Tuesday.
Tags:
catholic