The altar and statues had been broken throughout a morning mass at St. Ann’s R.C. Church in Dongan Hills on Jan. 9. St. Sylvester’s R.C. Church in Harmony was vandalized throughout their Christmas Day morning mass. Two days later, there was a housebreaking within the rectory at St. Roch’s R.C. Church in Port Richmond.
“We stand right here in solidarity with our Catholic brothers and sisters and all these of religion to say on Staten Island, it’s best to really feel secure at your church or wherever you pray,” stated Borough President Fossella throughout a press convention exterior of St. Ann’s Church yesterday. “Non secular freedom is on the cornerstone of who we’re and we’ll defend it firmly and peacefully with out apology.”
Assistant Chief Eger stated the people liable for the vandalism on the church buildings have been arrested. NYPD Group Affairs Officers and patrol officers have elevated their presence and have been making common visits to homes of worship throughout Staten Island.
“So, I wish to emphasize that none of those incidents point out the focusing on of church buildings resulting from non secular affiliation,” stated Assistant Chief Eger. “These acts had been of opportunism and theft, with a separate incident involving a mentally ailing particular person.”
Rev. Jacob Thumma, the pastor of St. Ann’s R.C. Church and St. Sylvester’s R.C. Church, appealed for elevated psychological well being companies and prayers for his congregants and the suspect within the incident at St. Ann’s.
“This immediate highlights an pressing societal concern — the necessity for enhanced companies and compassionate look after these affected by psychological sickness,” stated Father Thumma. “We should proceed to put money into psychological well being sources that help households and supply well timed interventions earlier than crises happen. We ask the general public to affix us in prayer for the person concerned on this incident, that he could obtain the therapeutic he wants, and for the injured law enforcement officials and their households. We additionally pray for these in our congregation who had been shaken by this occasion.”
