San Diego, August 23, 2021
Church members Chris Bruff and Elizabeth Reimann survey the damage Friday from the flooding inside St. Anthony Antiochian Orthodox Church in Linda Vista.(Sandy Huffaker/SDUT)
An unknown vandal(s) attacked an Orthodox church in San Diego last week, though no severe damage was inflicted.
The damage was confined to the lower walls and furniture at St. Anthony Antiochian Orthodox Church on Merton Avenue after someone left a hose running by the front door, which flooded the church overnight on Wednesday-Thursday, reports the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Fr. John Reimann was relieved to find out that the church’s brand-new iconography along the ceiling wasn’t damaged after he received a call about the vandalism.
“We just finished recently with very beautiful, ornate iconography on the ceiling,” Fr. John said. “When the custodian called and told me we had been vandalized, I feared the worst.”
The altar, raised a few steps above the nave, also survived unscathed.
But the perpetrator(s), who broke through the driveway gate, connected the two hoses on the church grounds, and stuck the nozzle near the front door, did cause damage to the 2,500-square-foot church’s marble floors, oriental rugs, pews and other furniture, and the bottom the walls.
There was an inch of water inside the church, Fr. John noted.
Dozens of fans were placed Friday on floors around St. Anthony Antiochian Orthodox Church in Linda Vista after a vandal flooded the sanctuary late Wednesday or early Thursday. (Sandy Huffaker/SDUT)
Parishioners and a local water abatement company worked Thursday and Friday to remove the water and dry out the floors and furniture, with the help of 70 fans and 15 dehumidifiers.
Some drywall will probably have to be cut out, the priest said, but the congregation is thankful that no serious damage was inflicted.
Fr. John reported the incident to the police and the parish council met on Friday to discuss security upgrades.
As for the person(s) responsible, Fr. John said: “We’re praying for them. We would want them to come and join us, and see the beauty ... We pray God’s mercy, God’s love and God’s forgiveness for them.”
Donations can be offered to the church via its website.
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