PUEBLO – Criminals targeted sacred ground in Pueblo. Either thieves or vandals have caused tens of thousands of dollars of damage to the Stations of the Cross at Saint Mary’s Catholic Church on Pueblo’s south side.
A Sister with the church discovered the crime. “In the morning when she come to walk and she called me and she told me the crosses were gone,” said Parish Member, Hermalinda Vigil. 14 of the 15 crucifixes marking the stations had been pried from a masonry wall and taken.
The Stations of the Cross are part of the Prayer Garden at the church. It is outside and encircled by a wall for peace and privacy. On the inside of the wall is where the Stations of the Cross are supposed to be permanently anchored.
Saint Mary’s has a long history on Pueblo’s south side. Generations of families attend the church. Members are troubled by the crime. “They’re very upset that it happened. We don’t know who did it. We wish they wouldn’t have done it, because it’s really, real sacred,” said Vigil.
Because it took a lot of effort to pry away the crosses, whoever did this was likely there for an extended time. There is hope somebody saw or heard something suspicious that might help the investigation.
