A Boston man with a lengthy criminal record is facing charges in connection with an act of vandalism at a historic cathedral that left a 150-year-old crucifix with broken arms.
Michael Patzelt, 37, of Attleboro, was arraigned Wednesday in Boston Municipal Court on a slew of charges, including assault and malicious destruction of property.
Prosecutors say the crucifix outside the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in the South End suffered about $20,000 in damage.
“Boston Police received a radio call for a person hanging on a cross at 1400 Washington Street,” a prosecutor told the court. “He caused significant damage to the cross.”
A video circulating on social media shows the suspect dressed in green and carrying a large backpack, gHe knocked the statue’s legs and swung from side to side before losing his grip and running towards him the ground.
Attleboro man Michael Patzelt, 37, has been charged with assault and malicious destruction of property
Patzelt is accused of breaking off the arms of the Jesus Christ statue outside the Cathedral of the Holy Cross
Patzelt’s attorney told the court Wednesday that he is currently homeless and lived with his grandmother before she died
Patzelt allegedly broke both arms of the statue before police arrived and arrested him.
Before officers learned the crucifix was damaged, they responded to a report of a suspicious person knocking off a woman’s headpiece Tuesday around 6 p.m.
Patzelt is accused of walking into a nearby store and knocking Tashana Watson’s hat off her head while the mother was shopping with her 11-year-old son.
Watson said she pushed the man four times to get him away.
“And then he grabbed my hair and my hat and threw it. Then he tried to have a conversation, like, shoot me,” she told Boston 25 News.
Patzelt has multiple convictions to his name, spanning two states. This includes a previous prison sentence for assaulting an ambulance driver.
The prosecutor asked the judge to hold Patzelt on $500 bail, but that amount was quickly increased when the judge asked his attorney, “Counsel, is this a matter of a depraved heart or a very diseased mind?”
The judge referred to Patzelt’s criminal record, which included “seven pages of committed time” and “a 10-page Florida record” filled with similar charges to the vandalism rap.
A video circulated on social media showing Patzelt swinging at the statue’s feet before losing his grip and falling to the ground
The 37-year-old was arraigned on Wednesday. He has a lengthy criminal record in both Massachusetts and Florida
Prosecutors asked the judge to hold Patzelt on $500 bail, but that amount increased to $5,000 after the judge asked, “Counsel, is this a matter of a depraved heart or a very sick mind?”
Patzelt is also accused of grabbing Tashana Watson by the hair and knocking off her hat. He was ordered to stay away from Watson and her young son
“I’m going to set bail at $5,000,” the judge said. “If we are dealing with a mental illness, let’s get to the bottom of it as quickly as possible.”
Patzelt’s attorney told the court he is unemployed, homeless and “remorseful” for his actions.
The attorney also explained that Patzelt had lived in Attleboro with his grandmother, but was forced to move after her death.
The 37-year-old was ordered to stay away from Watson and her son. He is prohibited from standing within 30 meters of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.
“The level of vitriol and destructiveness displayed by this individual is difficult to comprehend,” said Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden.
‘We live in a society where citizens have the freedom to practice any religion they choose, and are equally free to practice no religion at all. But they are not free to desecrate symbols that are precious to the many religions in our society.”
The Archdiocese of Boston issued a statement late Tuesday: “Unfortunately, the cathedral has experienced vandalism to the exterior crucifix.”
‘I have no information as to why anyone would take such an action. It is now in the capable hands of the BPD,” the archdiocese added.
Crews made repairs to the crucifix Wednesday afternoon.
The Cathedral of the Holy Cross is the largest church in New England
Crews were seen making repairs to the Jesus statue Wednesday afternoon
It spent only two years in the cathedral and previously stood in a garden of a nursing home owned by the Little Sisters of the Poor.
It spent only two years in the cathedral and previously stood in a garden of a nursing home owned by the Little Sisters of the Poor, which is now closed.
The Cathedral of the Holy Cross is the largest church in New England and can seat almost 2,000 people.
The cathedral, designed by the nineteenth-century Irish-American architect Patrick Keely, is 110 meters long, 30 meters wide and 30 meters high.
In 1860, Bishop John Fitzpatrick began work on a new house of worship after the Catholic population outgrew the first cathedral on Franklin Street.
The American Civil War brought the project to a halt before it was completed in 1875.
The Gothic Revival building uses local Roxbury pudding stone and gray limestone. The cathedral also houses the largest organ ever built by the Hook and Hastings Company.
The website encourages people to “come to worship, worship and minister with us, and discover and engage with our living history on Washington Street.”
Patzelt is due back in court on November 30.