Published: January 10, 2011
“Easy target”
Glendale parish repeated victim of ‘poor box’ thief; latest in series of crimes against Catholic churches
A Catholic Church in Glendale has been forced to tighten security measures after a thief has repeatedly broken into collection boxes used by parishioners to donate money to the needy.
About $400 has been stolen from such boxes in repeated episodes over the last several months at Holy Family Catholic Church, according to newspaper, wire service and television reports.
The thief apparently uses some kind of tool to pry open the boxes and take the money.
“The most recent incident took place on Dec. 27 when the man, described by witnesses as 5 feet 10 inches tall, bald, about 50 years old and of Middle Eastern or Latino descent, was spotted at 4 p.m. in front of Holy Family School, said Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz,” the Glendale News-Press reported.
“The man disappeared, only to be seen an hour later inside the Lomita Avenue church entrance stealing money from the Haiti relief offering box,” the News-Press reported. “He fled before police arrived.”
"Unfortunately, it is an easy target because it is a church that often opens its doors to the members of the community, and the church does have members that donate money to various causes," Sgt. Lorenz told the newspaper.
“The man has been seen at or in the vicinity of Holy Family several times, said facilities director Bill Evans, including once when he was spotted and pointed out by the parish priest during Mass,” the News-Press reported. “He is often riding a bicycle with a silver basket attached to the handlebars.”
Police said they believe the man may also be stealing from other churches in the area.
“Officials with the church said they are increasing security measures, including installing cameras in the building,” UPI reported.
The incidents at Holy Family in Glendale represent the most recent in a series of crimes in which Catholic churches have been targeted. In November 2010, Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Woodland was victimized by criminals for the fourth time since 2007. Thieves broke into the parish office and stole more than $2000. Just days before Christmas 2009, vandals knocked over and smashed into pieces a 60-year-old statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary dedicated to the memory of veterans outside Holy Rosary. The vandals not only knocked over the statue of the Blessed Virgin, which broke into so many pieces it is considered beyond repair, but also covered the statue in black spray paint. Vandals also entered the church sometime during the same time period and desecrated a Nativity scene, knocking down a 3-foot-tall statue of a shepherd, breaking off its head. The vandals also knocked down advent candles located at the church’s entrance. A week earlier, someone entered the church and pushed over a statue of St. Joseph, cracking the base of the statue. The vandals stole St. Joseph’s staff in that incident.
In October 2010, someone burglarized the rectory at St. Stanislaus Church in Modesto. The thief or thieves stole a computer sometime over the weekend of Oct. 16-17. In late August, vandals broke into and vandalized St. Stanislaus, breaking a window to gain entrance. The vandal or vandals knocked down four statutes of the Blessed Virgin and desecrated the sanctuary, police reported. Among the damaged statues was one from Belgium that was more than 200 years old and is considered irreplaceable. Other statutes knocked down included one of Our Lady of Fatima and another of Our Lady of Guadalupe. A fourth statue of Mary, which was being stored in a back room awaiting placement outside the church was also knocked down. Police said the vandal or vandals also left a trail of blood around the altar, but were unclear whether the blood was a deliberate act of desecration or the result of injuries received by the vandal or vandals when the window was broken to gain entry to the church. A new organ was also knocked over in the August incident.
In late May 2010, vandals broke into and ransacked St. Rose of Lima parish school in Maywood, a small city in Los Angeles County. They scrawled “666” on walls and drove a knife into the face of a painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Maywood-Cudahy Police Department reported. “Further investigation revealed that some of the vandalism was of a heinous nature, and in fact, consistent with a ‘hate crime,’" said the police statement. “The suspect(s) defecated in the auditorium (adjacent to the kitchen area) and wrote ‘666’ on areas of the kitchen, and a cross was displayed in a sacrilegious manner,” police said.
In April 2009, just hours before Easter services were to commence, a vandal or vandals decapitated a statue of the Blessed Virgin outside Santa Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica.
In early January of 2009, vandals spray-painted swastikas and the message “Niederauer, Ratzinger – where is the love” on the front walls of Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in San Francisco.
In late October of 2008, a ciborium containing consecrated hosts was removed from a locked tabernacle and stolen during a burglary at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Watsonville. The thieves also stole a safe that had been bolted to the floor containing $44,400 in cash and checks.
Thieves also like to steal wallets and pocketbooks from the pews, especially when the worshipers go up to receive Holy Communion. I think it is wise to always take your "stuff" with you. This is also a good reason to not receive in the hand but on the tongue. Your hands will be carrying your "stuff" and should not be extended for the Sacred Host. Thieves like to cut the straps of the ladies purses and men get their pockets slashed so they can remove the billfold. Yes, even in church, the thieves are active! Be alert at all times and if anyone is suspicious, alert the ushers about what you see. Just some common sense!
Deacon John
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