Bishop: Attack on priest at Spokane cathedral’s Lourdes service points to mental health needs

A man left his pew, rushed at a priest in the sanctuary and swung his fist before being subdued by parishioners and a security guard Feb. 4 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes in Spokane, Wash. The attacker was later arrested and remains in jail, according to Bishop Thomas A. Daly of Spokane, who witnessed the attack from just a few feet away.

The attack occurred on the second night of the cathedral’s annual Lourdes Novena for Healing. Bishop Daly was kneeling in prayer before a Marian grotto, but behind the vicar general and cathedral’s rector, Father Darrin Connall, who was leading petitions. Kneeling behind both of them was Father David Gaines, the cathedral’s parochial vicar and the object of the attack.

As the man approached, Father Gaines stood, and the man swung at him and fell down. In livestream video footage that captured the attack, Father Gaines appeared to help him up, but the man continued to struggle against Father Gaines. The priest “was very calm, and he kept saying to him, ‘You’ll be OK, you’ll be OK,'” Bishop Daly recalled in a Feb. 6 interview with OSV News.

The bishop, a deacon and men from the congregation helped to subdue the attacker, who was then handcuffed by the cathedral’s security guard. Meanwhile, the man grunted, swore and yelled unintelligibly.

The Diocese of Spokane’s shepherd since 2015, Bishop Daly said he did not recognize the attacker. He later learned that parishioners saw the man standing outside the church doors before the healing service and invited him in. The man had long hair and was wearing a sweatshirt and shorts, despite the snowy weather, and he was initially carrying reusable shopping bags, the bishop said.

It is unclear whether the man is homeless, but he was previously known to police, Bishop Daly said. It is also unclear why he attacked Father Gaines, who told the bishop he had never met the man before.

The downtown location of the cathedral makes it vulnerable to crime and it sometimes attracts homeless people who may suffer from mental illness or be using drugs, Bishop Daly said.

Previous security incidents prompted the cathedral to hire an armed security guard, who is present at all Masses and other major liturgies, including the Lourdes Novena for Healing, which draws around 400 people for nine nights of prayer to the cathedral’s patroness.

The bishop said he is grateful for Father Gaines’ calm reaction, the quick response from men in the pews and the presence of the cathedral’s security officer. While the event will prompt a review of the cathedral’s security protocols with families’ safety prioritized, “I think it was handled as best as possible,” he said. “I’m just grateful no one was hurt.”

Within two minutes after the attack, security and others escorted the man away as he continued to yell. Bishop Daly immediately resumed the prayer service and prayed for the man.

“Let’s say a Hail Mary for that disturbed gentleman” he said, before leading the congregation in Hail Mary. He later prayed again for “the disturbed man who charged the sanctuary tonight” along with other petitions for healing.

“Here’s a person who’s mentally ill and violent who needs healing — it’s spiritual healing, it’s emotional, it’s physical,” he told OSV News. “This act in the midst of healing calls us to think about just how many people are sick.”

The man’s growls have prompted Bishop Daly and others to consider the possibility of demonic affliction. In the homily before the petitions, “I was talking about the power of the Miraculous Medal,” he said, which includes an image of Mary crushing a snake, which symbolizes Satan, with her feet. The image, he said in his homily, shows Satan “is defeated by Mary’s obedience to God.”

The bishop said that he feels that the church has a responsibility to follow up with this man and his needs, as Spokane law enforcement shares more information about his identity and his condition.

The attack also points to the church’s role in drawing attention to mental illness and helping people who are suffering, he said, suggesting that mental health resources be prioritized by leaders of the state of Washington.

“We have Catholic health care in the state of Washington, so we are in a position of outreach through our health care to do that,” he said. “But we have isolated people, mentally ill people, people with drugs. … That’s what urban life is like, and, I suppose, even country life.”

Bishop Daly said he continues to pray for the man. The attack, he said, “calls attention to both illness on all levels and the importance to heal and ask Mary’s intercession.”

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