A Catholic Church in Denver is seeking help after being burglarized three times in the last month.
Our Lady Guadalupe Church was robbed once again on Monday morning.
The incidents, which resulted in property damage and theft of the donation boxes, have all been caught on camera.
“I will say it’s a sin, absolutely,” Father Benito Hernandez told local station KDVR.
The station reports, “On Jan. 20, a suspect dressed in a red hoodie didn’t let a snow-filled plaza stop him from swinging what appears to be a bat numerous times before breaking into the parish’s public donation box. Just five days later, on Jan. 25, a man dressed in a gray hoodie can be seen snooping around the area and tugging at the donation box, while suspiciously peering over his shoulder.”
In the latest incident, a person in a gray and blue hoodie was caught on camera using a hammer or mallet to smash the donation box. The suspect grabbed the contents and ran off.
Father Hernandez said that the donation box alone is worth $500 because he purchased what he believed to be safer and more secure boxes after the first two robberies.
The church confirmed that money was taken, but does not know how much was in there.
“They’re still coming, and coming and coming,” Hernandez said. “I feel very upset about this situation here in our community. I don’t believe what is happening, because it is something that is against our faith.”
Father Hernandez is now pleading for the public to help protect the church.
“Help us to do something to protect our faith and to also protect our church and our parish,” he said.
No suspects have been arrested or named in any of the robberies.
Anyone with information is being asked to call the Denver Police or Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-8767, where anonymous tips can be submitted.
