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Parish pays tribute to Annunciation shooting victims through sacred fresco

August 27, 2026 · 1 min read

When a deadly shooting devastated Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Aug. 27, 2025, a neighboring Catholic parish quietly provided support to the school, opening its doors for the parish school’s needs.

Now, Our Lady of Grace is memorializing that connection in a fresco by Minnesota-based artist Mark Balma .

Balma is in the process of painting two large frescoes at the altar of Our Lady of Grace. On the right, already finished, is an image of Mary and the angel at the Annunciation. Green and blue ribbons painted in the bottom-right corner pay tribute to the school and the community.

Our Lady of Guadalupe with the unfinished fresco, left, and the completed Annunciation fresco, right. | Credit: Photo by Rámond Mitchell

“In the centuries-old tradition of Catholic sacred art, images have always carried more than beauty — they carry the prayers, memories, and stories of the communities who create and encounter them,” Rámond Mitchell, director of liturgy for Our Lady of Grace, told EWTN News.

“Sacred art has a unique ability to hold memory, communicate faith, and invite people into prayer,” Mitchell continued.

“Because our two communities had walked so…

Source: Catholic News Agency · Read the full story →

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George Evans

That's a thoughtful way to remember what happened. The green and blue ribbons in the corner of the finished Annunciation fresco are a nice quiet touch. I hope the school families find some comfort seeing that when they visit.

Alexander Miller

The green and blue ribbons in the corner of the Annunciation fresco are a nice quiet detail. It’s good to hear the parish stepped up right after the shooting and opened their doors for the school. I’ll remember to pray for those families when I see that image.