Cassie Bernall started out her teenage career with the wrong crowd, like many teenagers do. It was strong. Discover how our Uncovering Our Shared Memories: An Introduction to the Community Standards at AncientFaces But something interesting happened once the truth came to light. Brad keeps saying that if there is one thing that makes all of this bearable, its the fact that Cassie is in heaven, Bernall writes. Steven Curnow: The youngest of the victims at just 14 years old, his funeral was held at Trinity Christian Center. LITTLETON, Colo. As Jesus fed the 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fish, Cassie fed the world with one word, Yes,' said Dave McPherson, youth minister at West Bowles Community Church, Littleton, Colo., the Sunday after Cassie Bernall was slain at Columbine High School. She had been shot in the head at close range, he said, the bullet wound indicating that the muzzle was touching her skin. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? The intent of the gunmen (Columbine students Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Kelbold, 17) to kill a Christian backfired, said a youth whose name also was indistinguishable on the NPR broadcast. She loved to swim and go on bike rides with her dad. The girls whispered back and forth. And to a large extent, he was right: this widespread debunking was met with widespread denial. The letters were addressed to her friend Mona and mentioned Cassies idea of killing her parents and committing suicide. It is just that I have personally received great strength and new faith, since I have known of Cassies story for the first time, by reading her mothers book, and I have focused some parts of my religious life about her. Blackstock noted that Rohrboughs heroic act, in the last few moments of his life on this earth, was the kind of thing Jesus holds up as an example to us all. On April 20, 1999, two perpetrators, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, twelfth grade (senior) students of the school, killed twelvestudents and a teacher, and injured twenty-four others, before they took their own lives. Incidentally, Cassie was not the lone Christian killed at Columbine High April 20. One traumatized young boy made a simple mistake, and the story spread like fire. A vast array of websites sprang up to defend the erroneous story. And although Cassies story might look religious-based at first sight, I do believe that non-religious people can also receive plenty of strength from Cassies story too, as Cassie was also a very normal girl, who never tried to force her faith to others, and she had her personal worries always too, to her very last day.The music that I have used for this video is Fastpass by Buckethead. Which explains why 16 years later, a presidential candidate is still repeating it. In it, Misty describes her daughter's turbulent teenage life, conversion and Christian faith. Darcy Craig, age 15, right, and Molly Byrne, age 16, left, of Colorado Academy High School hug each other after they prayed for Columbine High School students at Clement Park on Thursday, April 22, 1999. She had recently visited Great Britain and her favorite movie was 'Braveheart'. Sanders, 47, who had taught at Columbine 24 years, then went upstairs to aid other students, dragging one who had been wounded in the leg to safety, before being shot twice in the chest. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. It took her a long time for Cassie to fit in, and she was still adapting at her death, her youth pastor Dave McPherson recounted. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. [12], Craig Scott, the brother of Rachel Scott, was a student also in the library during the massacre who told investigators that he had heard one of the shooters ask a victim whether or not they believed in God during the shooting, and that the victim answered, "Yes." Columbine High School seniors toss their hats up in the air after graduation in Greenwood Village, Colo. on Saturday, May 22, 1999. Cassie Ren Bernall was an American student who was shot to death during the 'Columbine High School' massacre. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. A Columbine High School shooting victim is brought to St. Anthony Central hospital by helicopter. The family of Daniel Conner Mauser, foreground, and Kelly Ann Fleming, rear left, stand together as their loved ones are brought to the altar of the church at the start of a funeral mass at St Frances Cabrini Catholic Church on April 25, 1999, in Littleton. Cassie went to a martyrs death, pastor George Kirsten told the mourners, and were going to celebrate that because shes in the martyrs hall of fame., McPherson, the youth minister, said in his message, What the church has talked about for 2,000 years, what every church in this world has talked about on a daily basis, Cassie, you did it., Several years earlier, Cassie had been a troubled middle-school student who, as The Denver Post put it, was enthralled by witchcraft, suicide and a view of life so dark that her desperate parents dragged her to meet with McPherson. Peekaboo, he said. Her character was transformed, the girl said, even though Cassie didnt understand religious terms like being saved or born again. Like most of the Columbine myths, the martyr story gained traction because it was based on a kernel of truth. This is the story of the 17-year old high school student who was killed when she answered "yes" when asked if she believed in God. Learn more about managing a memorial . She was Rachel's teacher. Cassie Rene Bernall Born November 6, 1981 17 years old A born-again Christian as of 1997, she was active in church youth programs and Bible study groups. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. Year should not be greater than current year. Ellie Elmore, age 21, a CCU (Denver) student, writes a positive message on Klebold's cross. The churchs pastor, Dwight R. Blackstock, said Rohrbough might still be alive if hed have made a little different choice. Bree Pasquale was sitting there, right out in the open a few steps away, beside the next table over. Other messages on his cross: 'Hate Breeds Hate' 'May God Bless and Keep Your Family' 'May God Have Mercy On Your SoulSorry We All Failed You'. The average age of Dedicated to a student of Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Klebold had then asked Schnurr whether she believed in God, to which she had replied in the affirmative. Schnurr also verified the fact that while she lay on the floor of the library after being shot, Dylan Klebold, the other perpetrator who did not kill Cassie, had approached Schnurr. Oh my God, oh my God, dont let me die, she prayed. According to witness Emily Wyant, who was hiding under the same table as Bernall, Harris slammed his hand twice down on the table above them and said "peek-a-boo" before fatally shooting Bernall in the head. Seventeen-year-old Cassie Bernall was killed at Littletons Columbine High School. Her mother also remembers sitting with her in the kitchen, likely nagging her for not doing her chores. The blast was so loud, it temporarily blew out most of Emilys hearing. Hanna Rosin did a wonderfully thorough dissection of the rise and fall of the myth in the Washington Post. Columbine Principal Frank DeAngelis at the Littleton Public Library Friday afternoon, April 23, 1999. PHOTOS: The Columbine High School shooting and, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Get to know all 17 Denver mayor candidates , PHOTOS: The Columbine High School shooting and the community that came together in its wake, | Senior Editor for Photography and Multimedia, Denver just got a direct flight to this Caribbean island known for music history and vegetarian cooking, Denver gang member gave 14-year-old permission to open fire on woman with AR-15 after fender-bender, DA alleges, Multiple Colorado schools temporarily placed under secure status due to threats, Denver East High student dies more than two weeks after being shot outside school, Letters: Proposed age limit for gun ownership in Colorado doesn't make sense. Cassie Bernall was buried on April 24, 1999 at Golden Cemetery 755 Ulysses St, in Golden, Jefferson County. Investigators later took Scott back into the library and asked him to point to where he had heard the exchange come from. Early in the Republican presidential undercard debate tonight, Rick Santorum dredged up a powerful old Columbine myth to defend Kim Davis, Kentucky county clerk jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, and to illustrate the steepness of America's moral decline. Theres no hope for that girl, he admitted thinking afterward. Cassie Bernall is the 17-year-old student who died at Columbine High School last April 20 when two young men ignited a wave of shootings and bombings. Nicole Archuletta, a junior from Kennedy High School, holds a banner and flowers as the Kennedy students attend the memorial service for Columbine High School on April 25, 1999 in Littleton. About 500 students from Dakota Ridge, Chatfield and Bear Creek high schools walked Wednesday, April 30, 1999, from Dakota Ridge High to Clement Park to show their support and sympathy for the students of Columbine High School. A few years before she passed away, Cassie had experimented with drugs, alcohol, and Satanism at the age of 14. A boy named Craig, hiding under a table in the middle of the library, heard the exchange, and for some reason thought it was Cassie. It also narrates the grieving process of her family in the aftermath of her death. Cassie Bernall, a 17-year-old killed in the massacre, was an international sensation for about five months. I get the chance to remember the Share yesterday to connect today & preserve tomorrow, Copyright 1999-2023 AncientFaces, Inc. All Rights Reserved, ADVERTISEMENT AP Members of the Columbine High School volleyball team hug the. Cassie Bernall was a victim of the Columbine High School shooting. The transformation of Cassie Bernall represents, perhaps, the best these churches have to offer teens. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. I have chosen this song, because it makes me feel very moody and it just perfectly fits the pain, that I personally feel, when thinking about Cassie and about the life she had ahead of her and which sadly has been taken so violently from her, just as it has been taken from all of the other victims.May Columbine and its 13 victims never be forgotten, so that we, as a society, finally start to learn that we have to deal with all the shootings, not just but especially at schools, which have even worsened and have become more frequent since Columbine. Cassies Yes came in response to the question, Do you believe in God? posed by one of the two deranged classmates who shot her to death, along with 11 other students and a teacher, and wounding nearly two dozen others, before taking their own lives in a April 20 melee at the 1,900-student school. GREAT NEWS! According to the Associated Press, Sanders staggered into a classroom where students tore off their T-shirts and pressed them to his wounds. [19] The video for "This Is Your Time" includes a short clip at its beginning of Bernall talking about her beliefs. John Tomlin, 16, another victim, attended a Baptist church twice a week to participate in a youth ministry, Boyd Evens, his pastor, said, according to ReligionToday. He walked off. A year and a half before her death, Bernall decided to go on a weekend church retreat and restored her faith. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. He joined The Post as a photo editor in 2012. Klebold reloaded but did not shoot her again, and Schnurr ultimately survived the massacre. Cassie became known worldwide for courageously affirming her faith as she faced death. This was too rich. She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall is a memoir by Misty Bernall about the life of her daughter Cassie Bernall who was killed during the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999. Cassie was still praying. He ran against the incumbent, Jimmy Carter, and won 50.7% of the popular vote to Carter's 41.0%. What schools or universities did Cassie attend? It will always remain deep and raw. Produced by her church, it can be ordered by calling 1-800-521-8011. You can always change this later in your Account settings. This was the first time, emotionally, she has been able to come to Clement Park. The book contains details of Cassies life, including her rebellion during her teenage years, her spiritual side, and her faith in Christianity. by Misty Bernall Nashville: Word Publishing, 1999, 142 pages. In September 1911, Angus McAulay and Harry Suters opened what eventually became McAulay and Wallace Mortuary. But a key change in her life occurred in March 1997 after a friend from the Christian school she was then attending invited her to a mountain retreat. This of course occurred during the April 1999 tragedy at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. the average Bernall family member Resend Activation Email. The story is told by her mother and includes the last few years of Cassie's life and how she had gone through a complete change in attitude. Cassie Ren Bernall (November 6, 1981 - April 20, 1999) was a student who was killed in the Columbine High School massacre, where 11 more students and a teacher were killed by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who then committed suicide. Cassies witness for Christ in death indeed has gone global. Rachel's coffin Mementos left on Rachel's grave at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens. (415) 528-3714. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Coxey was in class when shooting broke out at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999, but managed to escape. Although the investigators and Emily Wyant had informed Cassies family that the question about God was not asked to Cassie before she was fatally shot, her mother included the story in the book. See the events in life of Cassie Bernall in Chronological Order, (Victim of Columbine High School Massacre), http://emo1212.blogspot.com/2010/10/she-said-yes.html, https://www.spotern.com/en/people/4445/cassie-bernall. 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