They gathered for a memorial Mass July 19 to share tears, memories of loved ones and thoughts on life after death.
"We believe she will greet us in heaven," said Rena Medek, mother of 23-year-old victim Micayla Medek. "She is in a better place than we are."
Megan Sullivan, sister of 27-year-old victim Alex Sullivan, said she could feel her brother's presence in church where he converted and married before the shooting.
"I would much rather he be in a great place, but at the same time I can feel him here," she said later in an interview with the Denver Catholic Register, newspaper of the Denver Archdiocese.
The community joined the Medek and Sullivan families and other victims for the memorial Mass at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Aurora, where Denver Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila led them in prayer for healing and comfort in Christ.
"Certainly the sadness and the loss continue, but we know that the Lord is with us in it, that he is there because he suffered," the archbishop told the congregation. "Turn to him for comfort, turn to him who can take away the darkness, the bitterness, the resentment, the anguish and all of the questions.
"Turn to him who your family members now know in a much fuller and unique way than they ever did here on earth," he continued. "For as our Lord reminds us and St. Paul teaches, faith and hope pass away, but love always remains."
The anniversary also was marked with a city-sponsored remembrance ceremony July 20 at Cherry Creek State Park. The tragic day was fresh on survivors' minds. Many showed distress at recalling the lone gunman who opened fire on a packed crowd during a midnight screening of the Batman film "The Dark Knights Rises" at Century Aurora 16 theatre. Twelve were killed and 70 injured.
During Mass at the Aurora church, each deceased victim's name was read and the choir sang the sorrowful lyrics to "Song of Farewell": "Give him eternal rest, O Lord; May light unending shine on them; Receive his soul, O holy ones; Present him now to God, most high."
Victims' names were etched on lighted candles placed near the altar. Thirteen candles were displayed to include the sometimes forgotten 13th victim, Ashley Moser's baby. Moser, who survived, was pregnant and miscarried as a result of the shooting. Her 6-year-old daughter, Veronica Moser-Sullivan, also was killed.
Archbishop Aquila urged those gathered to have confidence in Christ's promise that he has prepared a place for everyone to spend eternity with him.
"In the midst of the tragedy that was experienced, in the midst of the suffering that your family members suffered in their deaths, we are confident in the Lord's promise that he came to them and touched them. But it is only in putting our faith in Jesus Christ that we come to know that truth," he said.
"Only by putting our faith in the God who is love and the God who is truth will we understand that his care is with his elect, that his care is with each one of those who were lost in the tragedy of the Aurora shooting."
The archbishop was assisted by deacons and priests from Aurora parishes. St. Michael the Archangel's pastor, Father Terry Kissell, noted how the wounds from the tragedy were still fresh on the hearts and faces of those at the Mass.
He said it's understandable why many wonder about God's existence after a tragedy. God gave people free will and the ability to choose good or evil, which "can become tragic for others," he said.
Questions still lingered among some families about its meaning.
Megan Sullivan, 26, said her brother's death shook her faith "quite a bit."
"I think there's definitely times where it's hard to see where God was on that day," she said, adding she was raised Catholic. "I think after everything, I feel like my brother is putting me in a direction I would have never gone."
She has since become the director of communications for the nonprofit Aurora Rise, which raises money to assist shooting victims. She has a constant feeling that she has a greater purpose in life, she said.
Micayla Medek's grandmother, Marlene Knobee, said with tears in her eyes that she thinks about her granddaughter every day.
"We were so close," she said.
Rena Medek, who said she's Christian, is working to restore her faith.
"I'm trying hard," she said. "I pray to God more."