The Rev. Gerry Grossman was greeted with an unwelcome sight Wednesday when he arrived at St. Francis Anglican Church. Over night a vandal had smashed a large hole into one of the church’s antique stained glass windows.
Grossman said he was perplexed by the vandalism, because it seemed to be done just for the sheer act of destroying something.
“It is very disappointing,” Grossman said. “Why would someone want to destroy something this beautiful?”
Grossman said the window was broken sometime after 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. The vandal smashed an outer sheet of glass and ripped a large hole out of the stained glass. Nothing was stolen from the church.
The stained glass windows were installed in the early 1950s and were made with antique glass. Each window depicts a different scene in the life of Jesus Christ. The window that was broken was entitled “The Good Shepherd” and was purchased by Barbara Tallant in memory of her husband, William.
“These are one of a kind windows,” Grossman said. “They were designed and installed just for us.”
Grossman said he has found an artist who can repair the damage to the window.
Anyone with information about the vandalism is asked to contact the Turlock Police Department at 668-5550.
To contact Sabra Stafford, e-mail sstafford@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2002.