A priest to the family of Henry Nowak has told Premier Christian News that the teenager had a Bible verse about the resurrection as his phone screensaver.
Nowak, a student in Southampton, died in December after being stabbed five times. His murderer falsely accused him of racism. Distressing bodycam footage of Nowak’s final moments showed police ignoring his cries for help.
“Henry had as his screensaver before he died a scripture about the resurrection,” said Fr Paschal Uche, an Essex priest who has been giving pastoral support to the family since Henry’s death. “That seems incredibly hopeful for somebody who died so tragically, reminding us that we can have hope even in these difficult times.”
Uche remembers first meeting the Nowaks the evening after Henry’s death – not knowing that the family who had walked into his church would soon be at the epicentre of a national tragedy.
“They came into church one Tuesday evening, there was a whole bunch of them. I didn't know who they were, but I knew there must have been some sort of tragedy that meant they came to mass that evening,” he said. “From that moment, we just tried to accompany them. They've been incredibly grateful for just the presence, which is a wonderful reminder to us that we don't always have the right words or the perfect solution, but we can be present to people. That's one way of bringing God's love into the situation.”
The Nowak family have been adamant that they do not want their son’s story to be used for division.
“Henry’s dad has been inspiring,” Fr Paschal noted. “He's taken this moment and said: ‘What kind of positive legacy do we leave behind?”
It is a message echoed by Southampton Itchen MP, Darren Paffey.
Paffey, a Christian himself, told Premier it has been "tough" seeing protests on his constituency's streets following Henry's death.
"I was horrified by the bodycam footage," he said. "Henry came to Southampton like I did, as a student with everything ahead of him... [his death] really upset the community. We want to think that, you know, for the most part, we are a safe and welcoming city."
"[The protests] that followed were in total contrast to what the Nowak family asked for," he added, recalling scenes of smashed glass and broken walls. "We have fantastic community organisations, neighbours rub up alongside each other brilliantly for the most part. Over the years, we've not been drawn into the kind of riots that we've seen in other cities... So we know that this was about others coming in, stirring it up, that feeling."
Daffey added that he was encouraged by local church volunteers, who brought their own brooms to sweep away debris, saying: "That was the real Southampton."