As reported by City News, a man wielding a knife approached the altar to attack the parish priest who was saying a mass at Holy Ghost Parish in Winnipeg, Manitoba this past Sunday, February 9.
The man rushed the altar, approaching the priest, who upon seeing the man quickly fled. The man then stabbed his knife into the altar and sat in the pew at the back of the altar.
He was then detained by an off duty RCMP officer who happened to be attending mass that Sunday. The off duty officer also had some help by other church attendees who rushed in to assess the situation. The group of them stayed with the assailant until Winnipeg Police officers came on the scene.
A statement given by Winnipeg Police Constable Stephen Spencer explains that the attack seems random, and that the priest said that he did not recognize the assailant as a regular church-goer of the parish.
No one was hurt in the process, and the attack is deemed as random. The man was taken into custody by the police.
Update: February 10 Police Report
As reported by LifesiteNews the assailant, 50 year old Pawel Olownia was arrested after attempting to stab the priest at the Holy Ghost Parish in Winnipeg, Manitoba on Sunday, February 9.
It is worth noting that both the priest and the assailant are Polish, and that the church is under the care of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.
The priest was alerted by the organist who saw the man approaching the altar. The organist stopped the entrance hymn to yell out to the priest.
Olownia apparently chased the priest around with the knife before giving up on his attack. He then stabbed his knife into the side of the altar and sat down in a back pew at the back of the altar.
An off duty RCMP officer and another congregant of the church led Olownia away, telling him that he is under arrest.
Olownia has now been charged with assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon, and disturbing a meeting. He is currently in custody and the reasoning behind the assault is still unknown. The church has yet to put out a statement on the incident.
As reported previously by the Winnipeg Free Press, Olownia has a history of violence and is known to the police. In 2018, Olownia was given 11 months of jail time for assaulting an officer, and in 2004 he was also convicted of assault and theft resulting under $5,000. For his 2004 conviction, Olownia received probation and also has impaired driving convictions.
Update: February 18 CBC News reports that hospital released the assailant, disregarding the concerns of the brother.
The assailant, who attacked the parish priest at Holy Ghost Parish in Winnipeg on February 9, had reportedly been hearing voices telling him to “kill a priest.”
The man was hearing voices instructing him to kill a priest to save his own life, the older brother reported to CBC News. His brother, the assailant, had been hospitalized on January 11. The attacker texted his brother saying that he felt threatened and worried for his own life. He checked himself into the hospital.
The brother of the attacker contacted CBC News because he believes that if the hospital had provided better care for his brother, this attack would not have happened.
After receiving these worrying texts, he called Health Sciences Centre and explained to the nurse in charge about his brother, calling him, “sick, unstable and a danger to society.”
Only just 2 days later, he received a text from his brother saying that the hospital was releasing him. Alarmed he called the hospital, trying to find out the reason for the release. The doctor explained that the brother was able to fill out forms accurately, and had been through this many times.
The agency, Shared Health, which is the overseer for the Health Sciences Centre would not verify that the man, the assailant, had been a patient due to confidentiality.
The brother explained to CBC News that he and his family had been going to Holy Ghost Parish for years, and that they feel horrible for what has happened. He also explained that previously his brother had been living in Europe since 2020, but only just before Christmas he decided to move back to Winnipeg. He had moved in with his mother and then left, to live in shelters, to be on his own.
The brother hopes that he will be placed on the right medications, become stable and be able to recognize life around him. He also explained that he wanted the health minister to review the case and for his brother to receive proper medical care.
The agency, Shared Health would not comment on whether an investigation would be conducted on the release of the man.