Why would anyone break into the St. Mary’s Catholic Church?

Why would anyone steal a pair of television sets, and even a case of sacramental wine used for mass?

And if that weren’t enough, why would they allegedly set the building on fire afterward?

On Friday morning, pastor Lou Ruoff and his parish tried to think of answers to these questions.

&uot;I feel terrible and my people feel terrible,&uot; said Ruoff, as police, firefighters and members of the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Bureau investigated (setting fire to a church is a federal offense). &uot;I feel angry internally, but I can’t allow it to be aimed wrongfully. I can take solace in that no one was hurt, that the church is still standing, and that it could have been worse.&uot;

Fire trucks arrived at the scene just before 4 a.m. to find a room off the main alter burning. That room, according to Fire Department spokesman Jim Judkins, was &uot;pretty much gutted,&uot; and the upstairs, sanctuary and fellowship hall sustained heavy smoke damage.

&uot;The fire burned a door right off the hinges,&uot; Judkins said. &uot;Everything points to arson.&uot; He said that the fire was under control by 6 a.m. Damage was estimated at $100,000. No one was injured.

&uot;I’m shocked by the whole thing,&uot; said Sgt. J.J. Marx, a member of the roughly 225-family parish. &uot;It’s just shocking that people would go so low as to set it on fire. To break into a religious facility, whether it’s a church, synagogue, or what, is so low. This is a place people go for solace.&uot;

Marx and fire investigator Meg Bunting had to sift through the debris of their own church.

&uot;This is a shame,&uot; said Bunting, who got married in the church roughly two years ago. &uot;I’m very disappointed in the people that did this, but we’ll forgive them. We have a strong parish, and we’ll rebuild.&uot;

At press time, police had no suspects, though Judkins reported that a trail of evidence of a suspected burglary had been discovered scattered in the 100 block of Linden Avenue. Ruoff said that his church would temporarily move to Baker’s Funeral Home on West Washington Street.

jason.norman@suffolknewsherald.com