The Dean of Fredericton, Geoffrey Hall, wrote to members of the Cathedral congregation on 12 October 2016 to communicate the news about vandalism that had taken place over the Thanksgiving weekend. The note, with the subject line “Some unfortunate news” follows:
Members of Christ Church Cathedral Congregation,
I write with somewhat upsetting news that during the evening of Sunday, 09 October or the early morning of Monday, 10 October 2016, someone gained entrance to the Cathedral and subjected much of the interior to vandalism. A piece of outside furniture was taken from O’Dell House the evening before and there were reports of break-ins at other points along Brunswick Street. Unfortunately, the uncounted offering from Sunday was taken. E-offerings, of course are safe, cheques made out to the Cathedral will be unable to be cashed, but cash offerings were lost and the total amount is unknown. Monday morning is the usual time for counting and the bank deposit.
The Fredericton Police were on the scene early Monday morning and continue to process evidence obtained. The investigation is on-going and we await its outcome.
The good news is, there was a considerable mess created but no real damage. Thanks to members of the Sanctuary and St. Joseph’s guilds and others for helping to put things mostly to right again on Tuesday.
Needless to say, as with any act of vandalism or intrusion, the violation of our space creates a myriad of emotional reactions. Thankfully, this could have easily been far worse. The Cathedral and O’Dell House door locks have been changed, and the exterior and office doors inside the Memorial Hall will be completed on Wednesday.
Regards,
Geoffrey
Dean of Fredericton
Photo: Dalton London
The Dean provided an update for the Sunday bulletin of 16 October to communicate additional details. Locks have been changed as indicated.
Since informing the congregation, it has been discovered that three items were also lost: two electric guitars owned by Paul and Catherine MacDonald and a harmonica owned by Tom Fetter, all members of the 11:45 Music Group.
As the note says, the investigation is on-going.
We can again reiterate our thanks to all those who have helped to right the wrong. While cash given on Sunday, 09 October is gone, those who made offerings by way of cheques are encourage to reissue them, as the perpetrators will not be able to cash them. E-offerings remain the safest, most secure way to give. E-offerings also provide a way to assure a regularity of financial support for Cathedral ministry for those who have chosen to make it a priority.
We are so saddened to learn this terrible news. We attended the 11:45 service on Thanksgiving Sunday and were as usual uplifted by the joy if the music and sharing in worship. Our home church is St Philip’s in Moncton but we were Cathedral members fir many years when we lived in Fredericton and our daughter, Hilary was a Cathedral summer guide. We hope that the damage and loss are soon restored. By way if security, folks who put cash or cheques into the collection need to be aware that their personal info and bank account numbers are available to the thieves. We pray for healing for the Cathedral family. Janice and Gary Meek