Police are trying to figure out who vandalized a Catholic church and rectory in Rockland and left behind messages written on quahog shells.
The odd case of vandalism was first discovered Tuesday morning, according to the Rev. James F. Hickey, the pastor at Holy Family Parish.
Someone used fist-sized rocks to break two windows of the rectory and two stained glass windows on the north side of the church, he said.
Dozens of quahog shells were also found strewn across the lawn. Some of the shells were broken and had writing on them.
Scrawled in what appeared to be black marker were the words “Jesus" and “repent" and phrases such as “jeweler box” and “eternal peace.” A dollar bill with the message “priests repent” written on it was also found at the scene, he said.
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“We don’t know when this happened,” said Hickey. “It’s odd. It’s bizarre.”
Hickey was also keeping it in perspective. “There are much bigger problems out there,” he said. "Nobody got hurt here. Everything can be fixed.”
Hickey said he didn’t understand what prompted someone to commit this kind of vandalism, but “I will keep this person in my prayers.”
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Rockland Police Department at 781-871-3890.
Emily Sweeney can be reached at emily.sweeney@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @emilysweeney and on Instagram @emilysweeney22.