Across the nation, several churches have been desecrated, burned down, and vandalized on what is considered as a new terror attack on the faithful. The most recent one is St. Joseph Church in New Haven, Connecticut.

The church was forced to temporarily close down after someone had painted “satanic symbols” on the church’s front door. According to the church’s pastor, Rev. John Paul Walker, he discovered that the door was covered in pink paint, which includes “gibberish” language, as well as a “satanic pentagram” and an “anarchy symbol.” Walker described the scene as both “shocking” and “disturbing.”

In an Instagram post, Walker labeled the attack as a hate crime. The post reads, “Last night and 6:00 AM today, there was an act of vandalism at St. Joseph Church, where words and various symbols including a satanic one were painted on the outside doors of the church.” The church’s pastor also announced that the church will remain closed as they continue to assess the situation. Moreover, all church activities are canceled for the day.

The pastor went on to ask his parishioners to pray for the church’s “reparation” and to protect them from “all powers of hell.” Finally, Walker also asked people to pray for the perpetrators, whom he described as “a very disturbed individual in need of serious help.”

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A message from our pastor Dear parishioners, At some point between about 9:00 PM last night and 6:00 AM today, there was an act of vandalism at St. Joseph Church, where words and various symbols including a satanic one were painted on the outside doors of the church. While we assess the situation and make plans to bless the church, the church will remain closed at least through the end of the day today. Our two daily Masses, confessions, and afternoon Adoration are therefore canceled. We will be live streaming Mass at noon from the priory chapel. It is unclear right now if we will be able to reopen tomorrow or whether it will take a few days. Whenever we DO reopen the church, please be aware that it will be on a modified schedule where the church doors will only be unlocked for Mass/confession but closed the rest of the day. I would ask everyone in the parish to pray to Our Lord in reparation for this sacrilege, and to St. Michael for protection against all the powers of hell. Please pray, too, for the perpetrator of this action, who is clearly a very disturbed individual in need of serious help. Thank you and God bless, Fr. John Paul . . . #StMichaelthearchangel #UnitedInPrayer #catholic #dailyprayer #stmaryparishnewhaven

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The attack on St. Joseph Church is not an isolated incident, rather it is one of the several hateful crimes against Christian Churches. In another social media post, the pastor cited the incidents spanning several cities such as Chattanooga, Queens, Boston, Sacramento, and Ocala. He concluded that the motive behind such hateful attacks is clear- “to intimidate and instill fear in the hearts of those who worship Christ.”

Just last week, four Catholic churches were either burned down or desecrated, while several religious statues were beheaded and vandalized. In Colorado Springs, a statue of the Virgin Mary was painted with the word “redrum.” When spelled backward, the words read “murder,” a direct reference to Stephen King’s horror novel, “The Shining.”

Most shockingly, the hatred and violence towards religious groups have also gone beyond Christian churches and symbols. In fact, on Sunday, a Hindu priest was brutally attacked near a Glen Oaks Queen’s temple. The Hindu priest, Swami Ji Harish Chander Puri, sustained bruises and abrasions following the violent attack. According to witnesses, they claimed that 52-year-old Sergio Gouveia screamed at the Hindu priest, saying that “this is my neighborhood” and went on to attack the priest.