A symbol of anarchy at a local church, the phrase "your god is not my salvation" and lewd drawings on a statue of Jesus are found by Father Jim Fitzmaurice at Christ the King church Monday during his morning walk.
"I was just surprised and shocked and trying to figure out when they could've done it," says Father Jim.
Nothing was out of the ordinary Sunday, as more than 1,800 people made their way to Easter masses. Police interviewed church employees and neighbors who didn't see anything either, which leads them to believe the vandalism took place after dark.
Police say the person or persons responsible will face multiple charges, including making graffiti and criminal mischief. And because it's a place of worship and could be considered a hate crime; first degree aggravated harassment is also a possibility.
"If you look at some of the things written on the building, there's certainly things written on there that could leave you to believe that's what the case is," says Capt. Curtis Cox, with the Guilderland Police Department.
As for why someone might do this, Father Jim has no idea. In all his years with the parish, he's never seen anything like it.
"You don't know what to think. You don't know what's in their minds," he says.
Police are now hoping you at home can help. If you hear someone talking about the incident, or if you saw something yourself, you're asked to come forward.
Meanwhile, Father Jim says they'll be working to clean the graffiti up. He hopes whoever did this is caught soon so they can lend a hand.
"It would certainly make them think twice if they were forced to try to clean it up," he says. "But we'll see."
If you have any information on the vandalism call police at (518) 356-1501.
