$9,000 in donations stolen from Massachusetts church
By Brandon Truitt
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WATERTOWN, Massachusetts (WBZ) — Thousands of dollars are missing from a Watertown, Massachusetts church after police said someone walked in and stole the donations.
Watertown police said roughly $9,000 in donations was stolen from St. Patrick’s Church on Main Street sometime after 5:30 p.m. on Monday. A call reporting the missing money came in around 8:30 Tuesday morning.
“Anytime a church is broken into people feel bad,” said Father Timothy Kearney of St. Patrick’s.
The reverend went on to say that in these economic times people are already stretching every dollar to continue to make donations to the church.
“In a lot of churches, the people who give often are giving something else up so that they can give,” Father Kearney said. “So, you feel bad about that, but you also feel bad too that you know somebody was desperate enough they had to steal from a church.”
The money was set to cover the basics, the day-to-day operational costs of electricity, heat and other essentials to keep the church up and running.
Watertown police have been tight tight-lipped on the details of how this person got in or what, if any, evidence they have been able to gather. They are asking for the public’s help to turn over surveillance footage and come forward with any information.
“We try to look at it as best we can, the way that we think Jesus would look at it,” said Father Kearney. “He would not want the robbery, but he would also want forgiveness.”
The church says its youth and upcoming Christmas programs should not be impacted.
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