Within a month of the double murders, longtime rector, The Rev. Kirk A. Kubicek left St. Peter's after 17 years behind the altar and in the pulpit. He is now the chaplain and teaches World Religions and English at St. Timothy's, an all girl boarding school in Stevenson, Maryland. St. Timothy's was founded in 1882 as a "select school for young ladies."

Two few days before last Thanksgiving, a flash fire started by John Raymond Sterner turned St. Paul's-by-the-Sea's picturesque old rectory into an inferno. The rector, The Rev. David Dingwall, lost his life as a result of smoke inhalation. Since the fire, the old rectory has been torn down. St. Paul's congregation is still displaced as the 100-plus-year-old turn-of-the-century Gothic Revival edifice is being renovated.

Both Episcopal congregations were engaged in reaching out to the homeless and underprivileged at the time of the deadly incidents. St. Peter's continues to reach out to the hungry through their Route 1 Food Pantry while St. Paul's the Shepherd’s Crook, which was housed in the Old Rectory, has been relocated and is again operational.

Wednesday night’s death came to the rectory at Mater Misericordiae (Mother of Mercy), a Roman Catholic Tridentine mission in Phoenix, Arizona, that is in walking distance of the Arizona state capitol building and not far from Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.

A young priest, the Rev. Kenneth Walker FSSP, a member of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, was pronounced dead at a local hospital as a result of gun fire in the rectory. The 28-year-old priest was the traditional Latin congregation's assistant priest. He was ordained on May 19, 2012 by traditionalist Catholic Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz (VIII Lincoln). The church's pastor, Fr. Joseph Terra, FSSP, was also injured in the rectory attack and is reportedly in critical condition at a Phoenix area hospital.

Phoenix police report that Fr. Terra, 56, made a 911 call at about 9 p.m. to report an apparent burglary in progress. When the police arrived, they found Fr. Walker shot and Fr. Terra badly wounded in the attack. Reportedly, the critically injured older priest was able to give Last Rites to Fr. Walker before the he died.

Mother of Mercy rectory is attached to the church. It is a one story brick building with burglar bars on the windows, near the corner of 16th Avenue and Monroe Street in Phoenix.

The priests' vehicle, a 2003 Mazda Tribute SUV, was stolen but later abandoned less than half a mile away at 17th and Taylor. A Phoenix television reporter found it and alerted police of its location. At this time Phoenix police do not have a suspect in the crime. They are having to wait until Fr. Terra recovers enough to be able to give them a description of the alleged assailant or assailants.

Episcopal Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori and the entire Episcopal Executive Council are currently meeting in Phoenix.

Neva Rae Fox, the Episcopal Church's Public Affairs Officer on assignment with the Executive Council, assures VOL that "We are all okay." She e-mailed about "the horrible tragedy of the Roman Catholic priests" telling VOL that "we are remembering them and holding them up in prayer today."

Meanwhile when VOL contacted The Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, it was learned that Bishop Kirk Smith (V Arizona) is on vacation enroute to England and was unaware of the breaking news in Phoenix involving the Catholic priests.

"We are stunned and deeply saddened to learn of the tragic assault perpetrated last night against Fr. Joseph Terra and Fr. Kenneth Walker, two religious order priests who belong to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter. Fr. Walker's life was taken. Fr. Terra remains in critical condition but stable, "Catholic Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted (IV Phoenix) posted Thursday morning on the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix website.

"The reported attack occurred at Mater Misericordiae Mission in Phoenix. The police are still gathering information and trying to sort through the details of this senseless act of violence. We ask that people offer prayers for both priests, the religious community, their families and the parish."

"Our church was the scene of a terrible tragedy last night following the breaking and entering by armed burglars," Mater Misericordiae Mission posted on its website while asking for prayers. "Father Kenneth Walker, FSSP, Assistant Pastor, was murdered. Requiescat in pace. He was 28. Please pray also for his family. Father Joseph Terra, FSSP, Pastor, was severely wounded and is hospitalized in critical condition. Please pray for his recovery and God’s mercy on him."

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri) also offered a prayer for the repose of the soul of one of their own, Fr. Walker. "O God, Who didst give to thy servant, Kenneth, by his sacerdotal office, a share in the priesthood of the Apostles, grant, we implore, that he may also be one of their company forever in Heaven ... "

Mary Ann Mueller is a journalist living in Texas. She is a regular contributor to VirtueOnline.