Vandalism

The broken glass in the foyer made us scratch our heads and wonder at what kind of accident must have occurred. More broken glass behind a statue in the Church told us this was no accident. The lectern was cut in half, separated top from bottom. The three iconic images of the Holy Trinity were now only two. The statue of the Blessed Mother looked altered in her place. The giant stone candelabras on either side of the back altar were gone, smashed and retired to the patio until they could be repaired or replaced. You could see a blackened section of singed carpet where a fire was kindled but thankfully, quickly extinguished. Also thankfully, and most importantly, there was no desecration to the tabernacle or the Precious Body of Our Lord inside it.

At 2am a mad man who had escaped from a mental hospital decided to attack his God and vandalized the monastery chapel where we attend Mass. He broke the glass in the foyer, after first attempting to break into the back of the church and then gained entrance to the chapel. One elderly Cistercian sat alone in the darkened chapel praying through a battle with insomnia. He heard the intruder and rushed as fast as he could to the enclosure... the cloistered part of the monastery where only a special dispensation and a key card gains you access. There he alerted authorities. He was safe, thank you, Lord! The intruder was captured. The Cistercian monks ask for your prayers for this man that he might get the help he needs.  

St. Benedict, pray for them!

Here is a before picture of the back altar area. The statue of the Blessed Mother had been knocked down during the attack and then righted by the brothers in charge of cleaning up. We could tell she had shifted slightly from her usually spot. The two large stone candelabras were gone. The Crucifix hanging above the Blessed Mother was also gone.

You can see the lectern there with the microphone. The top of it was gone while the metal legs and one other board were all that remained. The Cistercians are preparing for an extraordinary 5 ordinations next month (2 priests and 3 deacons) and we hope they will have all the repairs accomplished by then although I am sure that a little vandalism will not sway them from their joyful celebrations!