RED offices ransacked

GUYANA

For the third time in six months, another building of the Catholic Church has been burgled.

Catholic Standard reported that this time the Our Lady of Fatima presbytery which now houses the parish offices, the priest’s office, parish hall and Religious Education Department (RED) of the diocese was ransacked and a number of items including a computer, flash drives, a CD player, “an almost brand new” power washer, a bicycle, a grass-cutting machine, and a cell phone, among other articles had been stolen.

Last year thieves broke into the building with the Catholic Media and Diocesan Youth offices, and just weeks ago the Catholic church at Hague on the West Bank was broken into.

The diocesan weekly said that at about 5.30 p.m. Sunday, February 3, the caretaker of the presbytery secured the building and retired inside where he lives. At about 2.30 a.m. Monday morning as he lay awake in bed, he noticed a shadow pass by his door. “On investigating, he realised there were intruders in the building. He raised an alarm and the offenders made good their escape.”

It is uncertain how the thieves gained access to the building as there were no signs of forced entry, according to the report.

Head of the RED, Angie Sukhai was particularly “disturbed” by the crime. She mentioned that the stolen computer contains a “huge mass” of very important documentation relating to her job.

Parish priest and Vicar General Msgr Terrence Montrose visited the scene and spent much time reviewing the situation with those affected. He remarked that the churches seem to be under attack.

What he considered sad was that the stolen power washer was something the church had long wanted and was only recently acquired from a very generous donor. Investigations are continuing.