CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) — An act of vandalism has damaged some of the stained-glass windows at St. Paul’s Church in Cranston.
Fr. Adam Young discovered the damage after opening the Edgewood church Thursday morning and posted pictures of it on Twitter.
Young said a rock crashed through one of the windows and was found between two pews. When he and others went outside to investigate, they saw three more rocks embedded in the glass.
Later on, they discovered yet another had been thrown through a window on the other side of the Catholic parish, established in 1907.
“The crowning glory of the church is really the windows,” Young said. “They’re supposed to be windows into heaven, as opposed to the gray background of the rest of the church. So when something happens to our windows, it really is hurting the whole architecture of the church and affecting the beauty of it.”
Young said he feels sad not only about the damage to his church but also for those who committed the vandalism.
“They obviously put some time and effort into it,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going on in their life, but I hope they figure it out.”
“A window is a window, but I hope they’re doing OK,” he added.
St. Paul’s has much to figure out now as well, including the cost of the damage, what its insurance will cover, and who can repair the windows.
Cranston police are now working to find out who’s responsible. Young said the parish will be more vigilant about security in the future and will likely have surveillance cameras installed.
“I just want to know why,” he said. “Of course, God loves everyone and Jesus asks us to forgive – and that certainly is the case – I just want to know why, whether it was meditated or someone just causing trouble. And we’ll keep praying for that person no matter why they did it.”
