The latest in a string of acts of vandalism has the parishioners of a B.C. church worried.
Vandals poured fake blood over the statues of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary outside of Cloverdale鈥檚 Precious Blood Parish on Monday night. They also splashed fake blood on an outside wall and drew a pentagram in fake blood on the concrete in front of the church.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very disturbing,鈥� said Rosana Ruiz, an administrative assistant at Precious Blood Parish. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 scary for the kids.鈥�
It isn鈥檛 the first time the church has been vandalized, but Ruiz said they鈥檝e 鈥渘ever had anything like fake blood before.鈥�
Two days later, traces of the fake blood are still visible. It didn鈥檛 quite wash off of the parish wall, and drops of blood can still be seen on the statues.
鈥淲hy would they do that?鈥� Ruiz said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not like we worship those statues, but they are remembrances. It鈥檚 like having pictures of your family defaced.鈥�
It was more upsetting that it happened at night, she added, as the first people that arrive on the grounds in the morning are children who attend the morning daycare program.
鈥淭he kids saw this. There was a kid that picked up the container of the fake blood that was just left there.鈥�
Ruiz called the RCMP, as they have a 鈥済rowing file鈥� on the vandalism at the parish.
鈥淲hen I reported yesterday鈥檚 incident, [Surrey RCMP] said they wouldn鈥檛 even come out, because it was mischief.鈥�
The container of fake blood was not retrieved as evidence, she said, as it was in the elements and anyone could have picked it up.
鈥淭hey can鈥檛 do anything with it,鈥� said Ruiz. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what they told me.鈥�
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The incident follows a break-in in late August. The Cloverdale Catholic School, located on the parish grounds, was broken into and the exterior walls of the parish were vandalized with black paint.
Ruiz said the church has had problems with local youth lately, with increased 鈥渁cts of mischief.鈥�
Mostly, she said she was concerned the children in the church community. Not only for those attending the Catholic school, but the youth groups that meet at the church, and the morning and after-school daycare program.
Karla Erickson, catechism coordinator for Precious Blood Parish, said teenagers have recently been coming by at night.
鈥淣obody wants to scare children, that鈥檚 crazy,鈥� said Erickson. 鈥淏ut if you do [bang on the windows] at night to a Grade One-r, they鈥檙e all screaming.
鈥淢y concern is, what if one of them gets brave and throws a rock?鈥�
Said Ruiz: 鈥淚t鈥檚 been happening a little too often. We have had incidences in the past, but always isolated. Not rampant, one after the other.鈥�
Precious Blood Parish has been Cloverdale鈥檚 only Catholic church since it was established in 1947.
RCMP have not yet responded to a request for comment.
editor@cloverdalereporter.com
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