Around New England

Red Substance Sprayed on Statues At Three Catholic Churches in Boston

April 11, 2019

An unknown red substance has been sprayed on statues at three Catholic churches in Boston at least seven times since mid-March, Boston police said.

Police are looking for a black woman who was seen by a parishioner of Most Precious Blood Church in Hyde Park attempting to spray a substance onto statues while the church was being locked up.

“The unknown female, when confronted, stated that she was just praying before exiting the church and leaving the scene in a white sedan,” police said in a written statement.

Police were called to St. Gregory’s Church in Dorchester on Wednesday, April 10, and told a statue there had recently been defaced with a red substance for the fourth time in the past month.

Police in March were also called to St. Anne’s in Readville.

Most Precious Blood and St. Anne’s are in the same collaborative of three parishes joined together under one pastor.

St. Gregory’s in Dorchester is in a different collaborative.

Boston police are asking anyone with information about these incidents to call the department’s Civil Rights Unit at 617-343-4527.

Anyone wishing to offer an anonymous tip may do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800 494-8477 or by texting the word “TIP” to 27463.