St. Michael’s Catholic Hungarian Church had been burned down by two individuals who later turned themselves in, reports CTV News Edmonton. The historic church had been set on fire on February 13 in Bashaw, Alberta. The entirety of the church had been affected. RCMP answered the alert and got to the scene only to find there was nothing that they could do to save the church. On February 14, the two perpetrators turned themselves in to the authorities.
From January on, there had been reports of various vandalisms; a rock thrown through a window, a break-and-enter and property damages. The RCMP has reason to believe that the two individuals who burned down the building were also responsible for the previous incidences. The two individuals are an 18 year-old man and a minor, who are both charged with 13 counts of mischief, 10 counts of break-and-enter and arson. Their court date at the Stettler Provincial Court is scheduled for April.
The Church had been built 1955-1956 after the land had been donated by a Hungarian settler. In 1975 it had closed down due the lack of congregants in the area. It was maintained as a cultural and heritage site. In 2018 the land had been sold and the church was put in a possibility of being torn down. (hungarianheritageincanada)