Friday, November 17, 2006

Your Prayers Are Needed

Last week, a police officer in Belleville, Illinois was shot in the face while carrying out a raid on a home. That police officer, Jon Brough, is a parishioner at my home parish of St. Luke in Belleville, and is someone I've known most of my life.

While he survived the shooting, and several hours of surgery that followed, Sgt. Brough is permanently blinded. Furthermore, his sense of smell will be permanently affected, and he has years of facial reconstructive surgeries ahead of him.

At a minimum, Sgt. Brough and his family need our prayers. If you would like to do more, please click on the title above and search the main page of the Belleville News-Democrat for ways to donate money. Anything you can do will help.

Thanks,
Shannon

7 comments:

  1. The whole situation was very sad - the shooter had already murdered his inlaws, and after shooting this policeman as part of a long standoff near my wife's workplace, he turned the gun on himself.

    He was also the adopted son of a Shrine volunteer, one of the ladies who folds our worship aids every week, I found out a day or two ago.

    Many prayers are definitely needed.

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  2. Also the officer's son jon was in YSP at the Shrine one year (Jesus Christ Superstar of 2000 (or was it '01?)...

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  3. I believe it was 2001

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  4. That is just awful! Why do people do that? I pray for those people all the time...both kinds. The kind that get shot...and the kind that shoot. You've got my prayers...as does he. He is very brave to put his life on the line every day. He is very lucky...in a sense. I mean, he's still living. It wasn't time for him to go Home yet. I'm sorry he was such a good friend. It's even worse when you know them. I hope he's ok and you can ask me for a prayer anytime. Or a million. Or however many you need. ;) <3

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  5. Fundraiser car-wash for Sgt. Brough at the corner of Hampton and 44 in STL on Nov. 26.

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  6. Wish I could be there. I live 2 hours away. Any other way I can help? I am already praying my heart out. I guess that's about all I can do. Good luck with the car wash. I'll let everyone know.

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  7. Orin, Shannon, and families will be playing our annual
    Christmas show at the Shrine on Thursday, December
    21st. If you've been to the Shrine during the Way of
    Lights, you know that there are choirs and music
    groups that perform in the Visitor's Center lobby each
    night. We are scheduled to play that night at 7:30pm
    for about an hour. It's a pretty laid back affair,
    and should be a lot of fun.

    Bring your family, bring your friends. It's free.

    This concert is going to help benefit the recovery of Sgt. Jon Brough, a Belleville police officer who was severely injured during a raid last month.

    There will be a donation box located near the stage that night. We would like to encourage you to join us that night and give what you can. This would be a great thing to involve your friends and family in. Jon and his family are parishioners at St. Luke Catholic Church in Belleville, which is Shannon's old parish in Belleville. He has known them for a long time and we feel privileged to have this opportunity to help.

    If you have any questions about the concert or other ways to donate, please feel free to contact us.

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