Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Burning Churches, The Domestic Edition

While I looked for a replacement image for our site here, I found this unfortunate story over on CNA.

Parishioners at St. John Vianney are determined to rebuild after an April 16 arson attack destroyed their Hacienda Heights, Calif. church.

“The church is completely destroyed, I mean down to ashes and dust. The pews, organ, everything,” parish pastor Msgr. Tim Nichols told the 5 p.m. Sunday Mass. He presented remnants of the altar and tabernacle and said only a few vessels and vestments were saved.

Very sad. Even worse when you read this:

Various crimes have targeted Catholic churches in California in recent years. In January one or more vandals spray-painted the misspelled phrase “Kill the Cathlics” on churches in Anaheim and Irvine.

In May 2010 vandals broke into and ransacked St. Rose of Lima parish school in the city of Maywood in Los Angeles County.

Holy Rosary Church in Woodland near Sacramento has been victimized by theft and vandalism four times since 2007. St. Stanislaus Church in Modesto suffered a burglary and vandal attack which desecrated the sanctuary, knocking down and damaging four statues of the Virgin Mary.

Weren't there congressional hearings a few years ago over the destruction of some churches in Alabama and Mississippi? I won't even bother wondering if some special action will be taken to investigate these matters in California.

4 comments:

  1. I think anyone who reads your blog is well aware that bigotry against Catholics is rarely, if ever, reported by the media. And it certainly never receives the attention of bigotry against other non-Christian religious or racial/ethnic minority groups.

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  2. I think anyone who reads your blog is well aware that bigotry against Catholics is rarely, if ever, reported by the media. And it certainly never receives the attention of bigotry against other non-Christian religious or racial/ethnic minority groups.

    ReplyDelete
  3. new picture for your masthead:

    http://www.catholicvote.org/discuss/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/bishop-with-gun.jpg

    yes, i know it's not a pope, but c'mon, it's awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Indeed, but I've sworn to keep Pius XII up until he's canonized

    ReplyDelete