CLOSE TO HOME

Sunday, May 6th, 2012 | Uncategorized

For reasons I’ll get to shortly, I sat on this story for a few days.  But I’m going to take a brief break from what I usually do around here and ask you to pray hard for the folks in this Episcopal parish:

Brenda Brewington, administrative assistant of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Ellicott City, Maryland, was found shot dead inside the church office May 3.  The Rev. Dr. Mary-Marguerite Kohn, the parish’s co-rector, was also found wounded and remains in critical condition.

The presumed assailant appeared to have killed himself near the church.

A custodian came upon Brewington, 59, and Kohn, 62, about 5:20 p.m., Sherry Llewellyn, a spokeswoman for the Howard County Police Department, said during a media briefing outside the church. The custodian called 911, she said.

SWAT members later found an unidentified man dead with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, a police department press release said. A gun was located near the body, according to the police.

Rev. Kohn has since died.

The reason I was reluctant to deal with this story is that something eerily similar happened around here ten years ago.

A 64-year-old church secretary, known for her compassion and understanding in dealing with the homeless, died after apparently being attacked by a homeless man in the hallway outside her office December 19 at Christ Church Cathedral in downtown St. Louis.

Carol Bledsoe, who had worked at the cathedral for nearly four years, reportedly went into the hallway shortly after lunchtime to investigate a disturbance and was stabbed in the neck. She stumbled into the office of a coworker, who called for help while another coworker administered first aid. She was taken to a nearby hospital by fire department medics, where she died a short time later.

Police soon arrested a 45-year-old man outside the cathedral whom one officer described as having ‘a mental condition.’ The man was known to cathedral workers, although he was not among the regular group of homeless men who frequently participate in a morning breakfast program operated by the cathedral. That breakfast program was open as usual the next morning.

Bledsoe was known by her coworkers as someone who did not tolerate foul language or rude behavior from the homeless men and women who came to her office, but she never failed to go the extra step to make sure their needs were met and was patient in listening to their stories. She was on a first-name basis with many of the men and women, who called her ‘Miss Carol.’ As police taped off the Bishop Tuttle Memorial Building, housing the cathedral and diocesan offices, word spread among the homeless men gathering outside that ‘Miss Carol had been stabbed.’ A number of the men were visibly upset.

Here’s the hook.  I’ve known a lot of people who are no longer with us for various reasons.  Accidents, disease, etc.  But Carol Bledsoe was the first person I ever knew who was murdered.

She was the mother of a good friend of mine back at my old Episcopal parish and someone I also considered a friend.  One time, I drove out to a hospital to visit her son who’d basically blown out a knee stepping off a curb.  Don’t ask because I don’t know. 

Carol and I got there at the same time and she saw me walking in.  “Where are you going?” she asked me, slightly surprised.

“Same place you are, I imagine,” I replied.

I couldn’t park within a quarter mile of Emmanuel for her memorial service.  And I stood through the whole thing, that’s how packed the place was.  I don’t know if we’ll get to see this or not but that’s how you know that you’ve lived a great life.

17 Comments to CLOSE TO HOME

Katherine
May 6, 2012

No doubt you and your friend will see Miss Carol when you go. Something to look forward to with joy.

May these women in Maryland see God’s glory, and may their killer be forgiven if it be God’s will.

Don Janousek
May 6, 2012

Had a secretary murdered one time. For no reason. Dispute between father and son and when the father came to shoot the son she was there and he shot her, too.

Senseless killing such as this is when we really have to cling to Faith. Your friend went about doing good. She will receive her crown.

As for Rev. Kohn – I don’t support women priests. But I don’t support killing innocents either. Do hope and pray that she recovers.

Remember – on the Last Day, all accounts will be balanced. Kýrie, eléison

FW Ken
May 6, 2012

“A great life”, indeed. I doubt the world thinks the life of a church secretary would qualify as “great”. God, however, sees through a different lens, and I’m reminded that we should as well.

Fuinseoig
May 6, 2012

I saw this story and thought it was terribly sad, and I’m so sorry something like that happened in your parish as well, Christopher.

May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

LaVallette
May 7, 2012

In manus tuas, Domine, commendamus animas suas.

Upstate
May 7, 2012

Prayers for all. Lord, have mercy.

Dale Price
May 7, 2012

May God rest her wondrous soul. I don’t know why He lets such things happen, but, indeed, there is no greater testimony than an overflowing funeral service.

ccinnova
May 7, 2012

We prayed for this situation at my church during yesterday’s services. This was a huge story in the Washington, DC media even though Ellicott City is closer to Baltimore than Washington.

John
May 7, 2012

Sorrow for the victims should lead to stronger and stricter gun legislation.

Dale Price
May 7, 2012

It’s sad that politics turns otherwise decent people into ghouls.

Dale Price
May 7, 2012

Just so I am clear: Prayers and condolences for all around. I can’t imagine the sorrow.

Amy P.
May 7, 2012

I’m sorry about this.

Every workplace should be safe, but the safest one should be a church. So sad.

GB
May 7, 2012

I am located a thousand miles west of this event, but the same thing has happened in my town also. The priest murdered in this instance was a very conservative traditionalist. Engaging in ongoing charity like foodbanks can carry risks. Homeless people are in that condition for a reason, and mental health my have something to do with it. Unless you really know what you are doing–it is best left to organizations like the Salvation Army. I strongly suggest working through them rather than competing with them.

FW Ken
May 7, 2012

GB -

I agree with you. My inner city parish stopped giving out sandwiches when it became clear that we were enabling, not helping. Now we partner with the Union Gospel Mission, who do well thought out and comprehensive work with the street population. On the other hand, we are now better positioned to serve the poor of the parish through a food pantry, medications assistance (we are in the medical district), and the like.

I worked with the”homeless

FW Ken
May 7, 2012

I worked with”the homeless” in the past and they are a specific population who are not easily identified with the biblical “poor”. The latter are identifiable by their lack of power. Homelessness is often an expression of power and self-will.

Deacon Michael D. Harmon
May 8, 2012

I can tell you that homelessness is also a potential expression of addiction and mental illness. People end up on the street for a lot of reasons. BTW, we have a downtown parish with a food cupboard and a few bucks to spare for the down-and-out, and have had people at Town Hall tell needy folks to come to us rather than look for government help for a meal or a few dollars to spend. One of our semi-regular worshippers was found dead in his truck in our parking lot a couple of months ago (of natural causes) after having to sleep there and on the couch in our social hall for several nights after he lost his apartment. We had gotten him on the list for another but he died before it came open. Still, I do have reason to hope that he had renewed his relationship with Jesus along the way, and if we helped with that, then we also helped find him a true and permanent Home.

FW Ken
May 8, 2012

The last stats I saw were that about 85% of homeless folks have drug and/or alcohol problems. About a third have severe and persistent mental illness, although substance abusers can also have diagnosable major depression.

In my experience, there is not a simple relationship between mental illness and homelessness; the same cannot be said of substance abuse.

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