St. Albert tagged with graffiti

The Catholic Church of St. Albert the Great in Longfellow was tagged with graffiti on the night of Sunday, May 9, 2021. The sidewalk, stairs, and retaining walls were spray-painted with the numbers 666, a known Satanic reference, along with other graphic symbols.
Father Joe Gillespie said, “I’ve worked in some really tough neighborhoods in Chicago and St. Louis, and haven’t witnessed a church being tagged. I was surprised and saddened to see what happened here. Our church is 86 years old, and has never been vandalized in any way before.
“I don’t understand if the tagging is anti-Catholic, anti-church, or just a randomly expressed need for recognition?”
Due to the graphic nature of the tagging, the police were contacted. The Church of St. Albert the Great also reported it as a hate-motivated crime to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights Hotline at 1.833.454.0148.
Father Gillespie said, “Here in our Longfellow neighborhood, we long for something better.”