Police make arrest in suspected hate crime at Mississauga Catholic church

Police are investigating the desecration of the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue outside Mississauga, Ont.’s St. Catherine of Siena Church as a hate crime.

The month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and repercussions have begun by the diabolical sect known as Islam!

Police make arrest in suspected hate crime at Mississauga Catholic church

MISSISSAUGA, ONT. - A 22-year-old Mississauga man has been charged in connection with alleged hate crimes committed at St. Catherine of Siena Church and its neighbouring elementary school over the past two months.

Iqbal Hessan was reportedly arrested in the early hours of May 26 on the Mississauga school’s  grounds, though police would not confirm this. Hessan faces five counts of mischief over $5,000, and break, enter and commit indictable offence. A bail hearing was held later that day.

On May 20, the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue that stands in front of the church was covered in black paint and the fingers of its outstretched arms were broken off. Behind the church, graffiti with the words “There is no Jew God” was scrawled across the brick wall along with a drawing of a face labelled “Jewsus.”

It was the third time the church has been targeted. On April 9, surveillance footage caught a young man breaking into the church, ripping pages of the Sacramentary book on the altar and throwing them at the tabernacle. He is then seen stealing one of the church’s amplifier speakers.

On May 17, a drawing of a hand gesturing with the middle finger was found spray painted on the front steps of the church. And on May 25, graffiti was sprayed on the school walls.

But out of the vandalism has come a new sense of community. When news spread, the parish community and its neighbours began working together to get the church back to its original shape.

Michelle Medeiros was driving down Hurontario Street on May 21 when she noticed the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue marked with black paint. She stopped, took photos of the damage and posted them on Facebook.

“We try to share it as much as we can so that people know we can’t be quiet about this,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a mosque. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Catholic church... It doesn’t matter anything. This is somebody else’s faith and we shouldn’t destroy it because it’s not right.”

The photo album has been shared more than 600 times on Facebook. Comments from community members have poured in.

On May 22, two days after she posted the photos, Medeiros launched a crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe.com to help support the parish. The campaign’s target goal is $10,000 to replace the statue and install more lights around the front lawn. So far, the campaign has raised $750.

“A lot of angry people are pointing fingers right now,” said Medeiros. “Some people are very, very upset because it is their church... they just want for whoever it is to get caught. I’ve had a lot of people asking me for friend requests... just to connect with me, talk to me, if I had any more information.”

Medeiros is not a parishioner of St. Catherine of Siena. She goes to Cristo Rei Catholic Church, a nearby Portuguese parish. But because she drives around the area all the time, she had seen the vandalism and damage over the past two months.

“I’ve seen everything happening and no one’s been doing anything so I said enough is enough,” said Medeiros.
“We received many phone calls and support from parishioners,” said pastor Fr. Camillo Lando. “We pray that these evil actions be overcome with forgiveness and much love.”

Support has come from a number of different faith groups. Local Muslim group Mississauga/Toronto/GTA Pakistanis Against Terrorism has launched a petition in solidarity with St. Catherine of Siena on Change.org. Accompanying the petition, the group published a letter calling the hate crimes toward St. Catherine of Siena Church “most deplorable and hateful” and that the group stands in solidarity with the community.

Islam is from hell!

Michael Mostyn, CEO of B’nai Brith Canada, also issued a statement of solidarity.

“It is always disheartening to see places of worship desecrated in a violent and hateful manner,” said Mostyn. “We stand in solidarity with the church against this despicable act that has targeted the Catholic community of Peel.”

The church and school community was to hold a prayer service in front of the Sacred Heart statue on May 28.

The Archdiocese of Toronto sent a notice on May 21 reminding parishes to stay vigilant and to exercise proper safety precautions.

Photo by Michelle Medeiros

Source

Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

   

     O sweet Jesus, Whose overflowing charity for men is requited by so much forgetfulness, negligence and contempt, behold us prostrate before Thy altar eager to repair by a special act of homage the cruel indifference and injuries, to which Thy loving Heart is everywhere subject.

    Mindful alas! that we ourselves have had a share in such great indignities, which we now deplore from the depths of our hearts, we humbly ask Thy pardon and declare our readiness to atone by voluntary expiation not only for our own personal offenses, but also for the sins of those, who, straying far from the path of salvation, refuse in their obstinate infidelity to follow Thee, their Shepherd and Leader, or, renouncing the vows of their baptism, have cast off the sweet yoke of Thy Law.

    We are now resolved to expiate each and every deplorable outrage committed against Thee; we are determined to make amends for the manifold offenses against Christian modesty in unbecoming dress and behavior, for all the foul seductions laid to ensnare the feet of the innocent, for the frequent violations of Sundays and holidays, and the shocking blasphemies uttered against Thee and Thy Saints.

   We wish also to make amends for the insults to which Thy priests are subjected, for the profanation, by conscious neglect or terrible acts of sacrilege, of the very Sacrament of Thy Divine Love; and lastly for the public crimes of nations who resist the rights and teaching authority of the Church which Thou hast founded.

    Would, O divine Jesus, we were able to wash away such abominations with our blood. We now offer, in reparation for these violations of Thy divine honor, the satisfaction Thou didst once make to Thy eternal Father on the cross and which Thou dost continue to renew daily on our altars; we offer it in union with the acts of atonement of Thy Virgin Mother and all the Saints and of the pious faithful on earth; and we sincerely promise to make recompense, as far as we can with the help of Thy grace, for all neglect of Thy great love and for the sins we and others have committed in the past. Henceforth we will live a life of unwavering faith, of purity of conduct, of perfect observance of the precepts of the gospel and especially that of charity. We promise to the best of our power to prevent others from offending Thee and to bring as many as possible to follow Thee.

 Sacred Heart of Jesus have mercy on us!