Our Lady of Guadalupe church's pastor asks help

Our Lady of Guadalupe church's pastor seeks help to protect faith, church, parish. (Photo by Mikhail Nilov from Pexels)

Our Lady of Guadalupe church in Denver experienced three break-in incidents in the past month. The criminals' activities were recorded on camera.

Pastor's Call

According to Fox 31, the church's location has recently become the focus of criminal activity, which has resulted in the theft of money and damage to property.

Due to the numerous crimes, FOX31's partners at Univision are assisting in spreading the cry for assistance to a broader audience of the church pastor.

The alarms started sounding early on Monday morning on West 36th Avenue, the location of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. However, Ptr. Benito Hernandez stated that, sadly, it was not the first occasion that this had occurred.

Hernandez pleaded for assistance, saying, "help us to do something to safeguard our faith and also protect our church and parish."

Church Burglary Incident

As reported, the first incident happened on Jan. 20, when the suspect, wearing a red hoodie at the time, stole the parish donation at the church.

Five days later, on Wednesday, Jan. 25, a man wearing a gray sweatshirt can be seen prowling around the area and yanking at the contribution box while curiously looking over his shoulder.

On Monday, Feb. 22, a person wearing a gray and blue hoodie was seen on a surveillance camera, taking what looked like a hammer or mallet and beginning to pound on the contribution box.

According to Hernandez, the contributions are deposited in a box located on a public patio within the church and near an altar.

As mentioned, the value of the contribution boxes is $500.

Moreover, the surveillance video from Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church was provided to CBS News Colorado, hoping that it may assist law enforcement in locating the thief or thieves.

After observing that this is a common location for criminals to steal money from, Hernandez claims they recently enhanced the area's security level and installed a video alert system.

On the other hand, it was obvious that individuals stopped by the altar where the contribution boxes were exhibited on Ash Wednesday to pray and express their gratitude.

The Denver Police Department has verified the occurrence of the thefts, and the search for the perpetrators continues. According to what they indicated, the inquiry is still ongoing.

Officials from the church have informed them that they have beefed up security during the night and have security personnel patrolling the area so that people may feel safe coming to the church to pray.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish

Based on its website, Our Lady of Guadalupe was initially created in 1936 as a mission church under the direction of the Theatine Fathers, a Religious Order formed in 1542 by Saint Cajetan. Fr. Andres Burguera, C.R. established the mission for those who spoke Spanish as their first language.

Bishop Vehr bestowed the name "Our Lady of Guadalupe" upon the church during a ceremony on Aug. 12, 1948.

Today, the church continues to uphold the same unique mission toward Latino immigrants and is led by the Theatine Fathers. Since they arrived in the United States in 1906, the Theatine Fathers have also been fully committed to the mission.