From Father Suarez’ sister’s Facebook posting (sent in by a reader as I don’t have facebook):
“Many of you have received emails from me about my younger brother, Father Luke Suarez, who is a priest at St. Rose of Lima parish, a Catholic church just down the road from Sandy Hook Elementary. He, and his pastor, Monsignor Weiss, arrived at the school within moments of the shooting, and have been caring for the community ever since. The picture I have included was taken at the school.
Father Luke has an impossible task before him. His diocese is without a bishop right now…. Monsignor … is personally devastated by the losses. The parish is very large…. The rectory has received serious threats, and as my brother gave the homily Sunday at the noon mass, the church had to be evacuated by SWAT teams. After experiencing identity theft and online hacking incidents, he had to erase all of his internet accounts. After a weekend of endless media requests, notifications and vigils with heartbroken families, and little sleep, he now has two wakes and two funerals every day, until the fourth Sunday of Advent. Father Luke has not even been ordained two years.
My large family has been trying to send Father Luke our love and support from afar, and one of my brothers was able to visit with him briefly a couple times. All he asks for is prayer.
I have been wracking my brain, trying to think of a way that our beautiful, loving community could tangibly reach out to Father Luke, Monsignor Weiss, and the St. Rose parish, to support them in this most awful of times. I have sent many prayer requests, and I am asking for more prayers again. But I also want to ask everyone to search their hearts, and if the Holy Spirit moves you,please consider sending one of your family’s Christmas cards to the rectory, with a few words of love and encouragement. Here is his address:
Father Luke Suarez 46 Church Hill Road Newtown, CT 06470
My brother has said over and over again that without the prayer support he is receiving, he could not keep going. And this week is only the beginning. Everyone there is still in shock. Their peaceful home has been desecrated by violence. They will need to live with this sorrow forever.
But in our weakness is His strength. Grace abounds. Can you help me carry him through this time of trial? On a hopeful note, Father Luke did say that no media coverage has even touched the deep, beautiful awakening of faith that has occurred there. Their tiny church, where my children have received sacraments and where Luke was ordained, has been full of people in prayer without ceasing since this tragedy happened. Love is stronger than death.
Please feel free to share the address with your family, friends, and community. An outpouring of love will sustain these good priests through their impossible ministry–impossible on their own, but possible with God. I am so grateful to live in this community. We are all so blessed with one another. Every day, I see you all loving one another as Christ loved. Thank you for letting me reach out to you now. With humble appreciation”
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Why not send them a Christmas card, and through them, to all the families involved?
Accompany me, Father George David Byers, S.S.L., S.T.D., as I begin life as a Catholic Priest-Hermit by choice. Holy Souls Hermitage is dedicated to the sanctification of my fellow priests, bishops, deacons & seminarians going through the purgatory of this life or the next. Prayer and sacrifice go up, of course, for both Benedict XVI and the next Successor of Saint Peter. 
I will send Fr. a card and continue to remember all of Newtown in my prayers.
The Mater Dei Catholic Church in the Dallas Diocese, Irving TX, sent out a Spiritual Bouquet request yesterday asking people to send in their committed prayers for St. Rita’s victims, as well as all other victims and their families. The note said that 12 of the victims attended Mass at St. Rita’s, 10 of which were children.
I have also added this parish to the Christmas Novena of Masses that will be offered by my Pastor for 40 days. I will add by name, Father Luke Suarez and Monsignor Weiss.
Why has the rectory received serious threats? No one there was responsible for the shootings. I just do not understand.
Many thanks for posting this, I got an email from CatholicVote just yesterday and my Christmas card is in the mail for those two wonderful men right now!
The card is sent.
God bless you, Carolyn!
Can someone fill me in ? Why are the priests being threatened ? I have not heard about this …prayers will be said for them all.
Brenda. There are those who hate those who mourn the dead, thinking that we should all be violently killed, right here, right now. Don’t try to find a reasonable explanation for the actions of those who are in error. Error is error because it has abandoned reason and rushes to the lowest of lows. Your prayers are most appreciated by the victims, the families, and all those who mourn.
Some of the threats are coming from Westboro Baptist Church, who believe that the children were killed because 1) they were not Westboro Baptists and 2) the United States doesn’t actively lynch gays, communists and Africans. Sad to say they THINK they are doing God’s work…
I just “happened” to buy an extra Christmas card. : ) I also sent this request to friends and family and know that many also sent cards. Thanks for letting us be a part of something.