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Sabinal priest helps Uvalde community in light of tragedy

For a month and a half, the Uvalde community has grieved the loss of 19 children and two teachers.

SABINAL – On the day of the Robb Elementary School shooting, Father Matthew DeLeon responded immediately, meeting with children and their families at the hospital.

“Devastating and traumatizing, but also very overwhelming, breathtaking to see the depth of their faith,” Father DeLeon, who is a priest and a dean of the Uvalde deanery, said.

Every moment of May 24th is still etched in his mind.

“I was able to make it in time and to the emergency room to be able to receive many of the victims that were coming in, many of the children, to give them the anointing of the sick,” Father DeLeon said.

Many of the families attend Sacred Heart Catholic Church, just down the street from Robb Elementary.

Days after the massacre, a majority of the funerals took place there.

“It is overwhelming and disorienting, but at the same time, very just incredible,” he said.

DeLeon’s church in neighboring Sabinal is similar -- tight-knit, as he describes.

It’s why he didn’t hesitate to step in when Sacred Heart’s priest was away on the day of the shooting.

“Started helping from that day to this day, God willing, for the next six months. We have immediate resources available,” DeLeon said.

At the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, there are grief counselors, financial assistance and housing assistance -- anything the community could need.

“We have been from that day. We’ve been doing it ever since. And we’re going to be there as long as we need to be,” he said.

On the day of President Biden’s visit to Uvalde, Father DeLeon helped Sacred Heart host a community mass to pray for the victims and survivors.

People described the church as the community’s heart. It’s a heart that’s broken but working to heal.

“Though we experience these difficult and sometimes unimaginably difficult moments, that helping each other get through it is what helps us to heal,” DeLeon said.

The resources at the church are in addition to the resources that are available at the Uvalde Together Resiliency Center.

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About the Authors
Leigh Waldman headshot

Leigh Waldman is an investigative reporter at KSAT 12. She joined the station in 2021. Leigh comes to San Antonio from the Midwest after spending time at a station in Omaha, NE. After two winters there, she knew it was time to come home to Texas. When Leigh is not at work, she enjoys eating, playing with her dogs and spending time with family.

Gavin Nesbitt headshot

Gavin Nesbitt is an award-winning photojournalist and video editor who joined KSAT in September 2021. He won a Lone Star Emmy, a Regional Murrow, a Texas Broadcast News Award, a Headliners Foundation Silver Showcase Award and 2 Telly Awards for his work covering the deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

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