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Our Jacob Murphey talks with Rev. Timothy Holeda about how the Co-Cathedral became a safe haven for students fleeing the shooting on FSU’s campus on April 17 last year. (Jacob Murphey\/WCTV)<\/p>\nTALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Mary Fran Strickland enjoys where she works. <\/p>\n
She serves as the head sacristan at the Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love how it sits on the hill and looks over the campus. It just gives me a comfort,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
On Thursday, April 17, 2025, Strickland was busy getting ready for another important evening on the Catholic calendar. It was Holy Thursday, and she was scurrying around the sanctuary getting everything prepared for the mass just hours away. <\/p>\n
Strickland said she heard the panic before she saw it. <\/p>\n
\u201cPeople were just running\u201d across Tennessee Street, she recalled. <\/p>\n
As gunshots rang out at the Union, anyone and everyone was trying to flee. <\/p>\n
Strickland said their instincts kicked in right away. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe were just saying, come in here, and we opened the doors to the church.\u201d<\/p>\n
The hours that followed have been seared into the memory of those working at the church that day. <\/p>\n
Father Tim Holeda is a rector at St. Thomas More. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no way I\u2019m letting anybody hurt these people who are here in this building. So I\u2019m going to do whatever I can to protect them,\u201d he said. \u201cThis was a place of peace, refuge, safety for them come in the middle of a really traumatic event.\u201d <\/p>\n
Our Jacob Murphey talks with Rev. Timothy Holeda about how the Co-Cathedral became a safe haven for students fleeing the shooting on FSU’s campus on April 17 last year. (Jacob Murphey\/WCTV)<\/p>\n
Strickland said a man who was already practicing piano for the liturgy stuck around as the shocked students and parents sat in the pews. He played quietly throughout the afternoon. <\/p>\n
On that day, one\u2019s faith didn\u2019t matter. All were welcome. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was very proud of the staff here and how they jumped right into action,\u201d Holeda said. \u201cI mean, just helping, providing water, comfort, counseling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Campus Ministry Director Sam Nunnally noted it wasn\u2019t just the staff stepping up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had so many students who had a strong sense of just spiritual peace in that moment, that they were actually able to help a lot of other students who were coming across the street,\u201d he remembered. <\/p>\n
And in the months that followed, the entire community worked to reclaim the union for the students, to ensure it was a safe, welcoming space. <\/p>\n
A year later, there\u2019s a sense of belonging on both sides of the street. <\/p>\n
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