By Jonah McKeown
CNA Staff, Mar 17, 2025 / 16:10 pm
Police have arrested a 23-year-old man suspected of heavily vandalizing and defacing the interior of a Catholic parish in Wichita, Kansas, over the weekend.
According to the Wichita Police Department, officers responded to a reported burglary at St. Patrick Parish on the morning of March 15. Once inside, the officers discovered extensive vandalism including damage to statues, candles, and glass, and hate speech graffitied on the walls. In addition, an American flag was burned.
St. Patrick’s, which includes a parish school, is located in north-central Wichita and predominantly serves the Latino community. Authorities said that Wichita Police Department investigators launched a full-scale investigation alongside the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
At approximately 2:20 a.m. on Sunday, officers located and arrested the suspected perpetrator, whom they described as being from Saline County, about 100 miles north of Wichita. The man, who has not been publicly identified, has been booked into the Sedgwick County jail on charges of burglary, criminal desecration, and criminal damage to property.
The Kansas Catholic Conference, which represents the state’s bishops, posted photos on social media of the “hate crime scene.” One of the destroyed statues appeared to be an image of the parish’s patron, St. Patrick.
“After forcing their way inside, statues were destroyed, glass smashed, and other extensive damage exacted upon this sacred space,” the conference wrote. “A Satanic website was scrawled on a wall. This is the face of evil.”
Despite having to move Masses to the school gym over the weekend, the parish was still able to hold its St. Masses to the school gym over the weekend, the parish was still able to hold its St. Patrick’s Day celebration and remain steadfast in the face of adversity.
