St. Mary Church, Cleveland, vandalized

When the St. Mary Church in Cleveland was opened for daily Mass Thursday, Jan. 5, it looked pretty much as it should – and much different than it had Wednesday morning.

Wen the sacristan arrived at 8 a.m. Jan. 4 to ready the church for the Wednesday daily Mass, he saw a glass entrance door broken. Father Vincent Alexius, SVD, described inside the church as “chaos.”

A person had broken into the church overnight and vandalized the inside.

“Everybody was shocked,” Father Alexius said.

“Candles were thrown everywhere. There was broken glass. The Christmas tree was knocked down,” he said.

Other items knocked over or down included the altar cloth and altar candles, paschal candle, American flag and other Christmas decorations. The person also knocked over parts of the nativity.

Support from the community was wonderful, Father Alexius said, adding those who weren’t able to help clean called and said they were praying.

The church was cleaned and the glass door fixed by late afternoon.

It is reported that the police picked up a suspect.

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