posted February 05, 2004 09:25 PM         

STOUGHTON - Police say two Stoughton teens broke into a Catholic church and used it as their pagan playground, spraying fire extinguishers, drinking the sacramental wine, and urinating on the altar and in the holy water.

They were arrested yesterday after the younger of the two, a 14-year-old runaway, showed up drunk at school, police said. He and his alleged accomplice, Andrew Studebaker, 18, of 60 Grove St., Stoughton, were to be formally charged this morning.

‘‘This isn't ‘The Exorcist.' This is a real story,'' Stoughton Police Chief Manuel Cachopa said.

The teens broke into Immaculate Conception Church at 122 Canton St. sometime after 9 p.m. Monday, police said.

They yanked open an outer door, then used a screwdriver to pry the door to the inner sanctum.

They broke locks on three collection boxes, which were empty.

From there, the vandals broke into the sacristy, the room beside the altar where priests and servers prepare for Mass.

The two sprayed a pair of fire extinguishers onto the floor, into a box that holds the sound system's circuitry, and into the closet where the priests' vestments are kept.

They tried unsuccessfully to crack a safe where chalices and other sacred and valuable objects are kept.

The refrigerator was easier to open.

‘‘They got drunk on wine and urinated on the altar and into the holy water,'' Cachopa said.

He said the teens used a bamboo torch for light and entered the confessional at the rear of the church.

They burned a candle and apparently smoked cigarettes inside the room, said the Rev. Joseph McDermott, Immaculate Conception's pastor.

The teens left sometime before 6:15 a.m., when a church worker arrived and found the damage.

‘‘They were in there for hours,'' Patrolman Christopher Grover said.

It is not clear where the teens went afterward or how they know each other.

Morning Mass went on yesterday and today. The Rev. McDermott said if the damage qualifies as desecration under church doctrine, it might be necessary to reconsecrate the church.

He said he's not angry - just sad.

‘‘When you're doing good work for the Lord, something evil tends to happen to (try to ) frustrate you,'' he said.

‘‘People who do things like this aren't happy, aren't living good lives,'' said the Rev. McDermott, a former prison chaplain. ‘‘It's hurting them more than me. If you want to land in prison, that's the way you want to go.''

The 14-year-old's mother had reported the boy missing. He was arrested at about 10 a.m. yesterday after a teacher at Stoughton High School smelled alcohol on his breath.

Officers took the boy into protective custody, during which time he reportedly confessed to Detective Erik Feist.

Police ‘‘began piecing together a story,'' then identified Studebaker as a suspect and called him to the station, Cachopa said.

Both were charged with vandalizing a church, breaking and entering at night, malicious destruction of property, larceny and other offenses. Studebaker also faces a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, Cachopa said.

‘‘This is pretty disgusting, where a place of worship gets vandalized,'' he said.

The Rev. McDermott said nothing was stolen, although Cachopa said police found Studebaker with a ring they believe was taken from the church.

Studebaker told police he believes in witchcraft and associates with Wiccans, followers of an ancient European religion who worship nature and believe in magic.

Cachopa said Studebaker confessed to drawing a pentagram in lipstick on the mirror of the women's washroom at the church on Saturday.

In a possible connection to the religion, the teens appeared to have been barefoot, a trait commonly associated with Wicca, during their spree. They left footprints in the residue from the fire extinguisher.

-- Police estimated that the damage would cost thousands of dollars to repair.

Kendra Vaughan Hovey of Duxbury has been a practicing Wiccan, or witch, since she was 11. She said today that no true Wiccan would ever commit such an atrocity.

‘‘Monday was a Wiccan holiday called Imbolc, the holiday celebration of rebirth, or new beginnings. Had they truly been Wiccan, they would not have been out on the holiday. It is a pretty high holiday,'' said Hovey, who calls herself a high priestess of Wiccan.

‘‘This absolutely would never happen by someone who is a true Wiccan. We are respectful of all other religions and we pride ourselves on the fact that we accept all other religions,'' she said.

John Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@ledger.com.

posted February 06, 2004 03:08 PM         

I forgot what they are called, but the windows are decorated with bible stories, and when the light hits the windows you can see all the colors. Seriously, I forgot what thats called, but they would have been heartbreaking to replace.

posted February 07, 2004 05:51 PM         

This is a terrible thing to happen to any place of worship......

But from the article......."the boys were barefoot, a trait shared by Wiccans"???

CMON NOW

Never never never have I been told I must be barefoot to be a witch. I don't understand this correlation, and honestly, I am a bit offended by it. But its from some newspaper, so please know this is not personal...

My other question......"Wiccan Bands"??
So, are we talking about Laureen McKennit? There is no such thing.

WITCHCRAFT does NOT equal SATANISM.
NO ONE who is a witch, nor Wiccan would EVER participate in this, and I am horrified on two levels....one being the atrocities done to the Church, and the other is the perpetuation of sterotypes and falsehoods as described in this news article...

Sure, they include a quote at the end of the story, but the wording is condescending. Add that to the tone of the lead up story....grrrrrrrrr.

Sorry, I am sensitive. But this has nothing to do with witchcraft and everything to do with some stupid teenagers.

posted February 07, 2004 07:12 PM         

I was speaking about gothic rock bands that sometimes sport the inverted pentagram.

You're right, it's really just about stupid teenagers. It makes me concerned about our future, and how destructive things are becoming.

Does anyone else sense a ticking time bomb in our society?