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July 18, 2009 St. Martin de Porres parishioners arriving for Saturday afternoon mass July 18 were surprised to see a large broken tree laying across the altar. Police believe several youths took advantage of what may have been a faulty latch system on a side door to drag the tree into the church. The door is partially hidden from the street in a narrow alley between the church and St. Mathew Elementary School. The tree with a trunk of about two inches diameter appears to have been broken off and taken from the park located behind the church and neighbouring school. The incident would not rank highly as a criminal activity because nothing was stolen and the only damage was to a light that hangs above the door. “We were fortunate nothing more was done,” said Office Administrator Pat Anderson, “it was really strange.” But if the purpose was a prank, parishioners were not amused. Most felt it showed great disrespect a sentiment expressed by Pastor Monsignor Ken Miller. “Those who did this have no respect for the sacred or what is holy,” he said in his opening remarks of his homily. He related it to the Gospel of the day; Mark Ch. 6 verses 30-34 in which Christ compared a huge crowd of people to a flock of sheep who have lost their way. “They seem to have no direction in life and appear to have lost their way,” said Monsignor Miller. One parishioner remarked, “What kind of sick people would break into a church?” The park behind the church and school was the site of a large gathering of youth Friday night July 17 which Miller estimated at somewhere between 50-70. The park is quite large for an urban green space and a popular gathering place for youth because it is unlit and the narrow entrance is off a side street. It is a source of contention for residents surrounding the park as the youth are noisy well into the night and sometimes the early morning. Police occasionally drop by but as one of the investigating officers remarked they don’t have the resources to constantly patrol the park. The officers removed the tree and placed it outside for removal. The incident is being investigated. Monsignor Miller was somewhat chagrined that the incident occurred on what was his last Saturday mass prior to his retirement at the end of July. Frank Flegel  Enlarge |
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