St. Cloud Greek Orthodox church vandalized, again

Another act of vandalism has a local faith community asking whether it's worth it to stay at its southside location, just blocks from St. Cloud State University.

The Rev. Nathan Kroll, who leads Holy Myrrh-bearers Orthodox Church in St. Cloud, said vandalism to the church building and grounds has been frequent.

The latest incident included a smashed glass door and kicked-in ground-level window, which Kroll estimates at $500 in damages.

"It's almost become routine," he said. "This was so dramatic because it was the door, which really makes a visual impact."

In an email Friday afternoon to church members and community leaders such as City Council members and the city administrator, he wrote:

"My heart was broken this morning to find our church vandalized, yet again. ... I have lost track of the number of times we've been victimized."

He lists broken windows, graffiti, paint balls, crushed fences, stolen property, burglary and ritual desecration.

Just a few months ago, three other windows were broken, totaling 13-15 by Kroll's count

Vandals even took an icon statue from the second story, which Kroll said would have required a ladder and tools. The statue was bolted down.

In the most recent case, neighbors reported the incident at about 5 a.m. Friday.

St. Cloud Police Department said its report on the incident would be released Monday morning.

Kroll said it's gotten to the point where church officials rarely report vandalism to police because there's not much that can be done. It's rare for him to notify parishioners as well.

But this time was different.

"There has been quite an upsetting spate of violence and property damage against neighbors in the neighborhood lately," he said. "At least for myself, I remain convinced we need a much stronger and more visible police presence in the neighborhood. ... There's a disconnect between how much crime actually goes on, how much crime gets reported and how much gets acted on.

"A lot of neighbors recently are getting really frustrated."

The social host ordinance, enacted in 2010, temporarily improved the situation, Kroll said.

Though the church is located near the university, he doesn't attribute the incidents to students. They are people who live in the neighborhood but don't go to school, he believes.

Moving is an option, but Kroll says the church sees part of its ministry as reaching out to students as well as troubled people and low-income people who live in the neighborhood.

"You got to be present for that," he said.

The community formed in 2000, buying the church from Grace Methodist.

Kroll is unsure whether any of the incidents are religiously motivated, or if it has anything to do with the perception of this particular church.

He wonders if the word "orthodox" fuels bias and suspicion based on misunderstandings of what it represents.

He estimates the damages cost about $1,000 a year, which is a lot for a church supported on congregant donations. The congregation is only about 30 people, or about 10 families from a wide area.

"We start to wonder, if we weren't constantly shelling out money to repair things," he said. "Maybe the money could be used for charity."

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