Woodland Church Hit By Vandals Again

CBS-13 Sacramento ^ | 12/14/7 | Dennis Shanahan

[SmithL]

Two weeks ago, somebody broke into a Woodland church and stole donation money out of a safe. Last night vandals returned and did even more damage, including spray painting statues.

Holy Rosary Catholic Church has stood at the corner of Walnut and Court Streets for more than a half century. Church volunteers spent today doing what they could to remove black spray paint from statues of Mary Magdalene, Mary the Mother of Jesus, and Jesus on the cross. One of the helpers just happened to be driving by, saw the damage, and asked for a washcloth.

"It's just very, there are no words. It's just really, really disrespectful and painful," said the volunteer.

Father Terry Fulton is the church pastor.

"Wow, it's such a sacreligious thing. I just don't know why anybody would do it," said Father Fulton.

Police are looking at this as much more than a simple case of vandalism.

Whoever did do it also sprayed the word "murder" on the side of the church, and it gets even worse. Somebody also tried to set the outside of the sanctuary on fire. The sound was enough to wake up Father Fulton just after four in the morning, who put out the flames himself with a garden hose.

Church members say they'll let the law do its job while they focus on moving forward. Late this afternoon, they received some professional help when Graffiti Removal Services, volunteered to make sure every trace of paint comes off. All of this is comforting to a pastor trying to make sense of the unthinkable

[weegee]

Why doesn’t Bill Clinton fly out there to check out this bigoted church fire?

[Between the Lines]

Late this afternoon, they received some professional help when Graffiti Removal Services, volunteered to make sure every trace of paint comes off.

I was concerned when the article mentioned that they were trying to remove the paint themselves. If not done correctly, cleaning can lead to further damage. Cleaning valuable statues is best left to the professionals.