I am sad to have to report that multiple times over the last 4 weeks, after hours, a group of teenagers has entered the church, proceeded to wander through the building, and damage church property in the unfinished basement. This is, of course, troubling, unacceptable, and a safety issue.
The intruders, who have been the same each time, entered through unlocked doors, and although we need to become more vigilant in our security, we also have, for years, left the church building open for extended hours so that people could have access to a place of peace and prayer. If these intrusions continue, this might be discontinued and the doors might have to be locked whenever the building is not in use. I hope that we do not get to that point.
The incidents have been recorded on our cameras, and screenshots (with faces) and videos have been provided to the Hamilton Police Department. However, without being able to identify the teens, it will be difficult to do address this aside from making entrance into the church building more difficult. If you are on church property and see people around the doors of the church building who should not be there, especially at off hours, please do not hesitate to contact the parish emergency line (609-587-4877 x0), so we can check the cameras and call the police if necessary (during business hours please call the Rectory office directly). During the Carnival, this will not be an issue, as there will be constant activity on campus, and overnight security will be present, but after the Carnival is over, I hope this will cease, as locking the church and making it inaccessible, is a step I hope we do not have to take. Thank you for your attention to this matter.