Sudbury's Ste. Anne-des-Pins church is vandalized again

Parishioners at St. Anne-des-Pins in downtown Sudbury are troubled by several acts of vandalism directed toward the church, leaving the small, French-speaking congregation wondering why they are being targeted.

In May, courtyard statues of Mary and baby Jesus were both decapitated for the third time in just over five years, Michel Chrétien, chair of the administration board at the church in northern Ontario, told CBC News.

The statue first attracted international attention when the head of baby Jesus was replaced with a terra cotta sculpture after being decapitated. The result was a bit startling due to the contrast in colours, as well as the fact that the clay began to erode from the rain about a week after it was attached

The recent decapitation of both Mary and baby Jesus follows an incident where vandals damaged the church's air conditioner, and another where vandals sliced the building's internet cable.

Chrétien suspects the damage comes at the hands of Sudbury's homeless population, as he often encounters groups camped out on the church's lawn and is left cleaning used syringes, garbage, and sometimes even human feces from the entrance. 

"Not to blame these people, but I mean, there are more people now without a home, without work," Chrétien said. "These kinds of incidents happen on a more regular basis than it did 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago." 

He said parishioners are "perturbed" at the rash of incidents, especially as St. Anne's has a vibrant culture of helping those less fortunate. 

Chrétien estimates members give approximately $15,000 annually to different organizations that help the city's homeless population, while other parishioners assist at the downtown soup kitchen.

"On the one hand, we give, we help," Chrétien said. "And on the other hand, we get vandalism.

"So it's sometimes hard to take, because we feel that our generosity isn't necessarily appreciated." 

But Ali Farook, who helps run the Go-Give Project, a group that tends to the needs of the city's homeless, said he'd be surprised if all the incidents at the church were directly related to the homeless population.

He said there's a "minuscule" number of his clients who may be damaging property, but overall, the homeless see St. Anne's as one of the places downtown that offers support. 

"If they do use the church, they use the doorways to spend the night basically," Farook said. "We've encountered them numerous times, but we haven't come across an instance where they would be the ones doing any vandalism on the property."

Farook said he suspects the damage comes from kids venturing into the downtown core at night.