Latest news with #ArulCarasala
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Funeral plans released for slain Kansas priest
Context: The above video initially aired on April 4, 2025. SENECA (KSNT) – The funeral details have been released for a Kansas priest who was killed by gunfire in Seneca earlier this month. The Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Seneca posted on social media on Tuesday, April 8 that a mass will be held for Father Arul Carasala later in the day at 6 p.m. with a healing service at 7 p.m. at the church. Carasala's body will lay in state at 1 p.m. in the church followed by a Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m., a rosary service at 5 p.m. and a vigil service at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9. People can visit Carasala at the church after the vigil to pay their respects. A memorial mass is set for 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 10 with a formal funeral to be held for Carasala in India. Saints Peter and Paul Parish will stream the healing service, rosary, vigil service and memorial mass on YouTube. Law enforcement was called around 2:50 p.m. on Thursday, April 3 to the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church rectory at 411 Pioneer Street in Seneca on reports on gunshots in the area. Deputies with the Nemaha County Sheriff's Office and officers with the Seneca Police Department arriving at the scene found Father Carasala outside the rectory of the church suffering from gunshot wounds. Lawmakers approve change to the Kansas Constitution over voting rights Medical personnel took Carasala to a nearby hospital for treatment, where he later passed away. The Knights of Columbus in Seneca, Archbishop Joseph Naumann out of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and other members of the Catholic faith held services shortly after Carasala's death to honor his memory. Law enforcement arrested Gary L. Hermesch, 66, of Tulsa, Oklahoma in connection to the deadly shooting. The Nemaha County District Attorney later charged him with one count of first-degree murder on April 4. 27 News later discovered that Hermesch wrote multiple letters to a Seneca newspaper about topics related to religion and politics before the shooting. For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
Oklahoma man charged in killing of Kansas priest
SENECA (KSNT) – Authorities have filed an official charge against an Oklahoma man Friday for allegedly shooting and killing a Catholic priest in Seneca earlier this week. Court records with the District Court of Nemaha County show Gary L. Hermesch, 66, of Oklahoma was charged with murder in the first degree on April 4. He is accused of shooting Father Arul Carasala, 57, of Seneca on Thursday, April 3. A 27 News reporter at the Nemaha County Courthouse said Hermesch was in a wheelchair for his first court appearance. He has no criminal history and was assigned a court-appointed attorney. Law enforcement was called at 2:50 p.m. on Thursday, April 3 to the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church rectory located at 411 Pioneer Street in Seneca on reports of gunshots, according to a report from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI). Deputies with the Nemaha County Sheriff's Office and officers with the Seneca Police Department found Father Arul Carasala, 57, of Seneca outside the rectory suffering from gunshot wounds. Dana Chandler sentencing date set in Topeka after guilty verdict in double-murder trial First responders took Father Carasala to a nearby hospital for treatment of his injuries. However, he later died at the hospital despite attempts to save his life. 'Fr. Carasala was a devoted priest who faithfully served our archdiocese for more than 20 years, most recently as pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish and dean of the Nemaha-Marshall deanery. He was ordained in 1994 in his home Diocese of Cuddapah, India. We ask for prayers for his family, parishioners, and all who are grieving this great loss.' Marissa Easter, director of communications with the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas press release excerpt on April 3 Law enforcement later arrested Hermesch in connection to the shooting. He was taken to the Nemaha County Jail on a charge of first-degree murder. 24-year-old gets nearly 40 years in prison for Topeka kidnapping, deadly shooting The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas held a rosary and then a mass on April 3 in memory of Father Carasala at his church. Archbishop Joseph Naumann issued a statement following these services on April 4. 'Dear friends, it was an honor to be with so many of you during Mass last night at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Seneca, where Father Arul Carasala served as pastor. We prayed in confidence that Father Arul, who loved Jesus and followed him so zealously in this world, is with our Lord now. Father Arul was a friend to me and a great priest. I shared in my homily that being a priest today requires heroic love. That quality was evident in Father Arul, who left India to come to the heartland of America and serve the people of the Catholic Church in northeast Kansas. While we continue to mourn the loss of Father Arul, I pray that we will not lose hope. God is with us in our adversity. He can bring good out of evil. He can bring life out of death. Let us draw closer to Jesus during this time of sorrow and ask him to console our hearts.' Archbishop Joseph Naumann social media statement excerpt Two arrested on attempted murder charges in Manhattan For more crime news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
A man is in custody after the fatal shooting of a beloved Kansas priest
SENECA, Kansas (AP) — An Oklahoma man is being held on suspicion of fatally shooting a Catholic priest at a church rectory in northeast Kansas, authorities said. Officers called to the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Seneca on Thursday afternoon found Arul Carasala with gunshot wounds outside the rectory, the Nemaha County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. The 57-year-old priest was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he died. Sheriff's deputies and officers with the Seneca Police Department later arrested Gary Hermesch of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Authorities say Hermesch, 66, is being held in the Nemaha County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder. The Associated Press left a phone message with county prosecutor Brad Lippert seeking additional information. Authorities have not released a possible motive for the shooting or said whether the suspect and the priest knew each other. Kris Anderson, the parish's director of religious education, told the AP on Thursday through tears that she knew few details. 'From what we know, an older man walked up to him (Carasala) and shot him three times,' she said. The priest's death left people in shock in Seneca, a city of about 2,100 where Carasala had been the pastor at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church since 2011, according to his profile on the parish website. He was ordained as a priest in 1994 in his native India and had served in Kansas since 2004. He became a U.S. citizen in 2011. Archbishop Joseph Naumann of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas said in a Facebook post that there was no ongoing threat to the community, but that he recognized the 'pain and shock' the priest's death had brought to the community. 'This senseless act of violence has left us grieving the loss of a beloved priest, leader, and friend,' he wrote. Seneca is about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of Topeka, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of Kansas City and about 300 miles (480 kilometers) north of Tulsa.
Washington Post
04-04-2025
- Washington Post
A man is in custody after the fatal shooting of a beloved Kansas priest
SENECA, Kansas — An Oklahoma man is being held on suspicion of fatally shooting a Catholic priest at a church rectory in northeast Kansas, authorities said. Officers called to the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Seneca on Thursday afternoon found Arul Carasala with gunshot wounds outside the rectory, the Nemaha County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post . The 57-year-old priest was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he died.
The Independent
04-04-2025
- The Independent
A man is in custody after the fatal shooting of a beloved Kansas priest
An Oklahoma man is being held on suspicion of fatally shooting a Catholic priest at a church rectory in northeast Kansas, authorities said. Officers called to the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Seneca on Thursday afternoon found Arul Carasala with gunshot wounds outside the rectory, the Nemaha County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. The 57-year-old priest was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he died. Sheriff's deputies and officers with the Seneca Police Department later arrested Gary Hermesch of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Authorities say Hermesch, 66, is being held in the Nemaha County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder. The Associated Press left a phone message with county prosecutor Brad Lippert seeking additional information. Authorities have not released a possible motive for the shooting or said whether the suspect and the priest knew each other. Kris Anderson, the parish's director of religious education, told the AP on Thursday through tears that she knew few details. 'From what we know, an older man walked up to him (Carasala) and shot him three times,' she said. The priest's death left people in shock in Seneca, a city of about 2,100 where Carasala had been the pastor at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church since 2011, according to his profile on the parish website. He was ordained as a priest in 1994 in his native India and had served in Kansas since 2004. He became a U.S. citizen in 2011. Archbishop Joseph Naumann of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas said in a Facebook post that there was no ongoing threat to the community, but that he recognized the 'pain and shock' the priest's death had brought to the community. 'This senseless act of violence has left us grieving the loss of a beloved priest, leader, and friend,' he wrote. Seneca is about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of Topeka, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of Kansas City and about 300 miles (480 kilometers) north of Tulsa.
