A crucifix that was vandalized at Boston’s Cathedral of the Holy Cross on Oct. 25 has since been repaired. / Joe Bukuras/CNA
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 27, 2023 / 14:30 pm (CNA).
Boston police arrested a man Wednesday for allegedly assaulti… […]
Jonathan Bulik, 37, of Brooklyn, has been arrested and charged in connection with the July 8, 2023, desecration of a statue of the Blessed Mother at Resurrection Church in Brooklyn, New York. / Photo courtesy of the Diocese of Brooklyn
Boston, … […]
Cross installed after Father’s Day 2023 at Santiago Retreat Center, Orange County, California. / Photo courtesy of Santiago Retreat Center
Denver, Colo., Jul 5, 2023 / 07:30 am (CNA).
An unknown vandal or vandals sawed down a 14-foot cross at a Catholic-run retreat center in Orange County, California, and investigators are considering whether the act was a hate crime.
“It’s still a mystery why an apparently hateful person destroyed the cross using a chainsaw,” said Mark McElrath, executive director of the Santiago Center, the Orange County Register reports.
The cross had been dedicated during a retreat just before Father’s Day. It is located on a 500-acre retreat center in Silverado Canyon, about 14 miles from the city of Orange. The center has four separate retreat areas and 500 beds for overnight visitors.
Investigators believe the vandalism occurred between 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 28, and 6 a.m. on Thursday, June 29. Sgt. Frank Gonzalez of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said they are looking at the vandalism as a possible hate crime. He added, “we’re still working on leads.”
Though the retreat center is hosting a vacation Bible camp for school children in grades K-8, none were staying on the campus at night.
McGrath said it wasn’t known whether the camp’s 24-hour security includes surveillance cameras.
Father Glenn Baaten, the chaplain of the Santiago Retreat Center, reflected on the vandalism.
“I was saddened, but perhaps not surprised in this day and age,” he said in a June 30 statement on the retreat center’s website. “In the Bible, in 1 Corinthians 1:18, we know that the cross — for someone who doesn’t believe — is ‘foolishness.’ The Bible also says that to the person who believes in Jesus Christ, the cross is ‘the power of God’.”
“We are praying for the soul of this person who cut down our cross. Redemption, because of Christ’s blood on the cross, is available to all,” Baaten said. “Forgiveness and redemption from God was extended to the thief next to Jesus on the cross — and it’s also extended to this person who visited last night.”
“We will replace the cross, of course,” McGrath said, adding that supporters of the retreat center are already sending in donations.
A GoFundMe fundraiser for the retreat center is seeking $12,000 for repairs and a new cross.
Investigators are looking into what caused a blaze at Incarnation Catholic Church in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday, June 24, 2023. / Photo courtesy of Mike Millis
Boston, Mass., Jun 26, 2023 / 12:50 pm (CNA).
Investigators with the Orlando Fire… […]
The parish of St. Josemaría in Alcorcón, Spain, was vandalized the night of June 15-16, 2023. / Credit: Parish of St. Josemaría
ACI Prensa Staff, Jun 16, 2023 / 16:25 pm (CNA).
The same church where Father Javier Contreras was stabbed in 2020 … […]
The Mexican platform Actívate (Get Active) delivered 10,400 signatures to the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) on June 6, 2023. / Credit: Actívate
ACI Prensa Staff, Jun 8, 2023 / 17:00 pm (CNA).
The Mexican platform Actívate (Get Active)… […]
A tabernacle was desecrated May 24, 2023, at St. Ann Parish in the town of Nindirí in Nicaragua. / Credit: Facebook of the Chapel of Our Lady of Fatima
ACI Prensa Staff, May 26, 2023 / 11:00 am (CNA).
During the early hours of May 24, unidentif… […]
The loss of St. Bernard’s Church in Grouard, Alberta, Canada, on May 22, 2023, makes a sad moment for those with memories of the church, said Grouard-McLennan Archbishop Gerard Pettipas. Two men have been arrested in connection with the fire. / … […]
The Christ in Death statue after restoration on display at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Fargo, North Dakota. / Credit: New Earth/submitted photo
Fargo, N.D., May 20, 2023 / 07:00 am (CNA).
Marilyn Loegering is no stranger to difficult projects…. […]
Santiaguito Church in Mexico sustained fire damage, according to a May 15, 2023, statement by the Diocese of Irapuato in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. / Credit: Facebook of Bishop Enrique Díaz Díaz of Irapuato
ACI Prensa Staff, May 16, 2023 … […]
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