Southborough Church Holds Vigil In Fight Against Hate-Filled Graffiti

SOUTHBOROUGH (CBS) - It may not look like it, but St. Anne's Catholic Church in Southborough is fighting back.

They were standing together inside for a candlelight vigil Tuesday night, against the hate found outside.

Hate-filled graffiti was discovered on the driveway two weeks ago and again, right across the street, on Sunday.

"It's not nice and people do such things, they do it in darkness and you come in to see that and it's embarrassing for everyone," Matthew Bernier, who found the slurs, told WBZ-TV.

So unacceptable, the Rev. Conrad Pecevich just couldn't look the other way.

"It lit my fire a little more, to say I've got to call the people" he told WBZ-TV Tuesday night.  "Maybe this is a wake-up call for our parish community."

So they arraigned a quickly-planned vigil with all faiths, simply to say this is not o.k.

"It's sad that somebody has that kind of hatred within them," said parishioner Pat Draper.

Police are calling it a hate crime.  They say both seem to be written by the same person.

But this parish plans to take that hate and turn it into something else.

"We have to pray for this person, this person needs help," Rev. Pecevich said.

Police have some good leads, but they want the public's help. They plan to step up patrols.

"May this unfortunate incident only draw us closer as a community.  We can't be silent and turn our eyes the other way," Rev. Pecevich said.