AMHERST — A downtown church was vandalized last week when one or more suspects entered the building overnight and destroyed statues, broke a baptismal font and smashed a window with a cross, according to officials and a parishioner.
The vandalism occurred late May 1 or early May 2, the Rev. John Smegal, pastor of St. Brigid’s Church, 122 North Pleasant St., said in a statement issued Monday by the Springfield Roman Catholic Diocese.
“I discovered the damage when opening the church for morning Mass and, truthfully, I was left speechless and disheartened,” Smegal wrote. “Police were promptly summoned and are investigating. We are still calculating the cost associated with the extensive damage that was caused, but given the value of some of the items it will certainly be substantial.”
Diocese spokesman Mark Dupont said Bishop Mitchell Rozanski visited the church on Thursday to see some of the damage firsthand.
Call logs supplied by Amherst Police Wednesday had a narrative about officers investigating an incident and gathering evidence at the church, though the department provided no other information at the time about the nature of the incident.
Smegal went on to write that “beyond any material loss, this senseless action has left our sacred and beloved worship space violated. It is hard to imagine what lies behind such actions, but clearly this person or persons need our prayers. As difficult as it is, we must pray that they will get the help they need and that they will know God’s forgiveness.”
Smegal also thanked Amherst Police and Massachusetts State Police for their immediate and thorough response. A fund will be started to cover any costs beyond what is covered by insurance.
Longtime parishioner George Como said statues were destroyed, a baptismal font was broken and a window was smashed with a processional cross, which was also damaged by that action.
“There was a lot of damage, but they cleaned it up so the church could function as a church,” Como said.
The first communion went on as scheduled Sunday morning.
Como said he doesn’t recall the church ever experiencing such damage in the many years he’s been a parishioner.
“I don’t think it’s happened before,” Como said.
The damage comes after an historic stained-glass window was damaged recently by a fallen tree.
This week’s church bulletin notes the window was made by Franz Mayer’s studios in Munich, Germany, in 1925. In addition to the panels of the window, which were replaced with plywood, an interior wooden sash and exterior protective glass were also damaged and need repairs. The estimate for those repairs is $19,330.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.