In the latest in a sudden rash of vandalism attacks at churches in the Diocese of Brooklyn, black spray-painted graffiti was found on the exterior of Immaculate Conception Church on June 8.
In the latest in a sudden rash of vandalism attacks at churches in the Diocese of Brooklyn, black spray-painted graffiti was found on the exterior of Immaculate Conception Church on June 8.
A suspect was arrested in the deadly shooting of 10-year-old Justin Wallace that occurred three days before the boy’s birthday.
As police continued to search for the vandal who toppled a 130-year-old statue of the Blessed Mother outside St. Adalbert Church, Elmhurst — leaving it broken in pieces — distraught parishioners have begun raising thousands to repair it.
A suspect was arrested in the case of vandalism at St. Athanasius Church last week. The suspect, identified by police as Ali Alaheri, 29, of 184 East 3rd St. in Brooklyn, has been charged with criminal mischief as a hate crime.
As the New York Police Department chases suspected gunmen — some are repeat offenders — priests in the Diocese of Brooklyn want to help their communities find solutions to the growing violence.
In what has emerged as the second act of vandalism in three days in the Diocese of Brooklyn, church officials are calling on the NYPD to increase its patrols around churches in Brooklyn and Queens in response to what they’re calling “a pattern of hate crimes against Catholics.”
The City Council has voted unanimously to pass legislation to double the fines for vandalizing houses of worship, as the city continues to grapple with disturbing incidents at religious institutions.
Police are hunting for a vandal who scaled a fence outside St. Athanasius Church early Friday and knocked a crucifix to the ground, doing “serious damage” in what is being investigated as an anti-Catholic hate crime.
As the city is on the mend from a year of COVID-19 restrictions, fierce, unprovoked attacks on people of Asian heritage have erupted during the first few months of 2021. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio says the Catholic faith has a role in dealing with the hate, but ultimately it is a moral issue in the heart of each person.
NYPD chaplains Msgr. David Cassato and Imam Tahir Kukiqi come from different religions but share a strong bond. Msgr. Cassato, a Catholic, and Imam Kukiqi, who is Muslim, are proof that emissaries of different faiths can work together and serve as examples to others.