Young woman shares story of faith in adversity

By Peter Droege
Catholic News Service

GREELEY, Colo. (CNS) -- As a freshman at the University of Northern Colorado, Valeen Schnurr avidly pursues a degree in counseling, enjoys strong friendships and works out to keep physically fit.

Few people on campus are aware of her demonstration of faith and courage in the midst of tragedy last April at Columbine High School, and that's how she likes it.

``I like UNC a lot -- the campus is great and people are nice and helpful,'' said Schnurr, who will soon turn 19. ``I have worked hard over the last year to be a normal freshman -- people close to me know my story and respect my privacy. If I want to talk, they are there for me.''

On April 20, 1999, Schnurr was studying in the library at Columbine in Littleton, a Denver suburb, when two students entered and opened fire. She was hit by a shotgun blast fired at point-blank range. As her assailant stood over her, she began to pray.

``Do you believe in God?'' he asked.

``Yes, I do,'' she replied.

He asked her why. She said, ``Because I believe and my parents brought me up that way.''

Staring at her, the young man began to reload his weapon. Schnurr was certain that he intended to kill her, but he was distracted and left the area. Before killing themselves, the two young men killed 13, including a teacher, and injured 23 in the worst school shooting in the nation's history.

Schnurr travels across the country sharing her testimony with parish youth groups and at church gatherings. She will undergo further surgery this summer to help heal the 40 wounds she received that day at Columbine.

``I don't know if I'll ever be 100 percent back, but physically I'm doing a lot better,'' Schnurr told the Denver Catholic Register, archdiocesan newspaper. ``I'm not looking forward to the surgery, because it will set me back for a while, but I have the summer to get back into shape,'' she added.

In speaking to youth groups, Schnurr says she tries to share the message that God can bring good out of any situation. It is a message that today's young people need to hear, she explained.

``It's difficult to get in front of an audience and talk about what happened,'' she said. ``It's not what a normal young person does.

``The people I talk to, whether they are teens or adults, may not be able to completely fathom what I went through, but they can relate the message to the struggles they face on a day-to-day basis,'' she said.

After her talks, Schnurr said, people share stories of the struggles they face in marriages, friendships and dating relationships.

``I tell them that God can bring something good from a bad situation -- no matter how bad the experience, including rape or other things, God can bring good from it,'' she stressed.

On weekends, Schnurr usually travels home to be with her family and to attend Mass at her parish, St. Frances Cabrini in Littleton.

``My family has been going to St. Frances Cabrini for about 14 years,'' she said. ``The people at the parish have been very good to my family and we really feel like it is our home.''

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