Pittsburgh Catholic Newspaper

Editorial

Meeting hatred with prayer
current editorial
by: Editorial

A few weeks back, the prayer garden of St. Bernard Parish in Mount Lebanon was vandalized. The vandal — or vandals — desecrated a statue of the Blessed Mother in the grotto. The statue had been knocked over, broken, and “666” spray-painted on the forehead.

Rosaries left there for the people to use when they pray in the parish grotto had also been destroyed. They were torn apart and tossed around the grotto.

The grotto is a popular spot for parishioners to gather for prayer. It is also a favorite spot for wedding, baptism or first Communion photos.

The police have no idea at this point who committed the vandalism, and it is unlikely that anyone will ever be charged. Crimes like this just vanish into the night.

No one really knows what the motives might have been for the desecration. Nobody knows why people do things like this — out of hatred or boredom, for a lark or for a deeper thrill.

St. Bernard’s parishioners were obviously in shock over this. And they wanted to do something because when what we love is attacked, we have to do something. For the members of St. Bernard, their “something” was to pray.

They wanted to pray for whoever did the desecration; to pray that the vandal or vandals “come to see the true light that no darkness can overcome.”

So they gathered June 16 to pray. The rosary, Mass, the Eucharist — that was their “something” in response.

In a world where hate generates more hate, the parishioners of St. Bernard gave a different answer. Hatred was met with prayer.

And hatred didn’t have a chance.