Pantera99GS
06-08-2006, 01:55 PM
Vandals desecrate grounds of Holy Hill on 6-6-'06
More than a dozen sites at shrine spray painted with references to Satan, hell
By DON BEHM
dbehm@journalsentinel.com
Posted: June 7, 2006
Erin - When Richard Kontny of Neosho arrived at Holy Hill early Wednesday for his almost daily walk uphill through the Stations of the Cross, he saw a devil's pitchfork spray painted on the stone arch entrance to Station Way.
Red spray paint covers Jesus Christ in the 12th Station of the Cross on Wednesday at Holy Hill. At another station, the eyes on the statues of Christs mother, Mary, and two other figures were painted red.
"Hell" was painted on a nearby sign that reads: "This is a Religious Shrine. Please Be Respectful."
As he climbed uphill, Kontny encountered graffiti painted on several of the 14 stations, including another pitchfork and the word Satan at the 13th station. This is the station that depicts the body of Jesus Christ being removed from the cross after his crucifixion.
Red paint covers the eyes on the statues of Christ's mother, Mary, and two other figures at the station.
Kontny said he was "angry" and "disgusted" by the vandalism at the National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians.
The historic shrine draws up to 300,000 visitors a year and has never experienced such desecration, said Father Cyril Guise, shrine director.
The shrine is atop a cone-shaped glacial hill, known as a kame, south of state Highway 167. The main church, a Romanesque revival structure, was built in 1930.
The Discalced Carmelite Friars have spent $6.1 million since 2002 on extensive exterior and interior repairs at the shrine, including a new slate roof for the monastery, main church and bell tower. This year is the 100th anniversary of the arrival of Carmelite priests at Holy Hill.
'6-6-06'
Kontny called the Washington County Sheriff's Department at 5:40 a.m. Wednesday to report the vandalism.
By that time, Friars at the shrine had found profanities and obscenities spray painted at other locations, Guise said.
The word Satan and "6-6-06," Tuesday's date, had been painted on a monastery door and a nearby wall.
In the New Testament's Book of Revelation, triple sixes are the mark of the Antichrist, and Tuesday's date received worldwide publicity in media discussions of superstitions and apocalyptic prophecy.
Guise did not recall any vandalism at the internationally known shrine during the last half-century that he has been associated with Holy Hill, he said.
Guise was a friar at the shrine in the early 1950s. He returned to the shrine about a dozen years ago and is a past prior of the Discalced Carmelite Friars, a Roman Catholic religious community that owns the site.
Contractor begins cleanup
Vandals spray painted more than a dozen sites throughout Holy Hill late Tuesday or early Wednesday, said Washington County Sheriff Brian Rahn.
"Hell on Earth" was painted across another door, with a pitchfork on the brick wall adjacent to the door.
A vandal had painted "Hell will Rule" on the frame of the Monastery office door.
The Sheriff's Department increased patrols in the area Wednesday night, Lt. Robert Martin said.
The department had stopped several vehicles for traffic infractions, but so far no suspects had been arrested in connection with the vandalism, Martin said.
Guise called a contractor, Conrad Schmitt Studios of New Berlin, to assess the paint damage to statues in the Stations of the Cross and remove the paint. A separate contractor began working Wednesday afternoon to remove paint from doors.
Paint removal options include use of chemicals, pressure washing or sand blasting, said Rick Statz, a project director at Conrad Schmitt.
Which technique is employed will depend on the type of paint used and the depth of penetration into stone and masonry. "We'll do tests to determine the safest and most effective way to remove the graffiti," he said.
No estimate of the cost of removing the paint was available Wednesday.
Both Kontny and Statz observed graffiti on a maintenance garage along Station Way.
"Hail Satin" was sprayed in red paint on the garage. "Whoever did this misspelled Satan," Statz said in disbelief. A few feet away on the same garage wall, vandals had painted: "I'm Glad They Killed Jesus."
Kontny stops at Holy Hill on his way to work at Cliff Bergin & Associates in Mequon, where he is employed as a plumber.
"I was just angry that someone would do that," he said. "After Mass, I settled down." He regularly attends 6 a.m. Mass at the church.
Kontny told co-workers and customers about the vandalism he observed.
"I think, overall, people are disgusted by this," he said. But it was one conversation with an elderly Jewish woman that helped Kontny put the desecration in a larger perspective and understand that the damage was not permanent.
"She told me that her Synagogue was spray painted with Nazi graffiti," he said. "This happens, I know. I'm glad that the damage was superficial."
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I'm not catholic or anything, or even very religious- but what a bunch of crap. It's a nice peaceful area, even if you're an atheist you can appreciate that. They didnt just do a stupid childish spray painting on one thing, they hit a LOT of stuff. I just read they've caught some people- apparently they went back in a car full to look at their work, real smart. I hope the stupid bastards have to pay every cent for repair and get their ass beat in prison. I'm picturing some skinny goth kids who like to talk about "evil", but would cry like little girls if they actually had a tough life.
More than a dozen sites at shrine spray painted with references to Satan, hell
By DON BEHM
dbehm@journalsentinel.com
Posted: June 7, 2006
Erin - When Richard Kontny of Neosho arrived at Holy Hill early Wednesday for his almost daily walk uphill through the Stations of the Cross, he saw a devil's pitchfork spray painted on the stone arch entrance to Station Way.
Red spray paint covers Jesus Christ in the 12th Station of the Cross on Wednesday at Holy Hill. At another station, the eyes on the statues of Christs mother, Mary, and two other figures were painted red.
"Hell" was painted on a nearby sign that reads: "This is a Religious Shrine. Please Be Respectful."
As he climbed uphill, Kontny encountered graffiti painted on several of the 14 stations, including another pitchfork and the word Satan at the 13th station. This is the station that depicts the body of Jesus Christ being removed from the cross after his crucifixion.
Red paint covers the eyes on the statues of Christ's mother, Mary, and two other figures at the station.
Kontny said he was "angry" and "disgusted" by the vandalism at the National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians.
The historic shrine draws up to 300,000 visitors a year and has never experienced such desecration, said Father Cyril Guise, shrine director.
The shrine is atop a cone-shaped glacial hill, known as a kame, south of state Highway 167. The main church, a Romanesque revival structure, was built in 1930.
The Discalced Carmelite Friars have spent $6.1 million since 2002 on extensive exterior and interior repairs at the shrine, including a new slate roof for the monastery, main church and bell tower. This year is the 100th anniversary of the arrival of Carmelite priests at Holy Hill.
'6-6-06'
Kontny called the Washington County Sheriff's Department at 5:40 a.m. Wednesday to report the vandalism.
By that time, Friars at the shrine had found profanities and obscenities spray painted at other locations, Guise said.
The word Satan and "6-6-06," Tuesday's date, had been painted on a monastery door and a nearby wall.
In the New Testament's Book of Revelation, triple sixes are the mark of the Antichrist, and Tuesday's date received worldwide publicity in media discussions of superstitions and apocalyptic prophecy.
Guise did not recall any vandalism at the internationally known shrine during the last half-century that he has been associated with Holy Hill, he said.
Guise was a friar at the shrine in the early 1950s. He returned to the shrine about a dozen years ago and is a past prior of the Discalced Carmelite Friars, a Roman Catholic religious community that owns the site.
Contractor begins cleanup
Vandals spray painted more than a dozen sites throughout Holy Hill late Tuesday or early Wednesday, said Washington County Sheriff Brian Rahn.
"Hell on Earth" was painted across another door, with a pitchfork on the brick wall adjacent to the door.
A vandal had painted "Hell will Rule" on the frame of the Monastery office door.
The Sheriff's Department increased patrols in the area Wednesday night, Lt. Robert Martin said.
The department had stopped several vehicles for traffic infractions, but so far no suspects had been arrested in connection with the vandalism, Martin said.
Guise called a contractor, Conrad Schmitt Studios of New Berlin, to assess the paint damage to statues in the Stations of the Cross and remove the paint. A separate contractor began working Wednesday afternoon to remove paint from doors.
Paint removal options include use of chemicals, pressure washing or sand blasting, said Rick Statz, a project director at Conrad Schmitt.
Which technique is employed will depend on the type of paint used and the depth of penetration into stone and masonry. "We'll do tests to determine the safest and most effective way to remove the graffiti," he said.
No estimate of the cost of removing the paint was available Wednesday.
Both Kontny and Statz observed graffiti on a maintenance garage along Station Way.
"Hail Satin" was sprayed in red paint on the garage. "Whoever did this misspelled Satan," Statz said in disbelief. A few feet away on the same garage wall, vandals had painted: "I'm Glad They Killed Jesus."
Kontny stops at Holy Hill on his way to work at Cliff Bergin & Associates in Mequon, where he is employed as a plumber.
"I was just angry that someone would do that," he said. "After Mass, I settled down." He regularly attends 6 a.m. Mass at the church.
Kontny told co-workers and customers about the vandalism he observed.
"I think, overall, people are disgusted by this," he said. But it was one conversation with an elderly Jewish woman that helped Kontny put the desecration in a larger perspective and understand that the damage was not permanent.
"She told me that her Synagogue was spray painted with Nazi graffiti," he said. "This happens, I know. I'm glad that the damage was superficial."
-------------------------------------------
I'm not catholic or anything, or even very religious- but what a bunch of crap. It's a nice peaceful area, even if you're an atheist you can appreciate that. They didnt just do a stupid childish spray painting on one thing, they hit a LOT of stuff. I just read they've caught some people- apparently they went back in a car full to look at their work, real smart. I hope the stupid bastards have to pay every cent for repair and get their ass beat in prison. I'm picturing some skinny goth kids who like to talk about "evil", but would cry like little girls if they actually had a tough life.