Repairs underway after cemetery vandalized

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WHDH) -- Repair work is underway in New Bedford after vandals toppled and damaged nearly fifty grave stones at a local cemetery.

The vandalism, at Sacred Heart Cemetery, is causing heartache for the families who have loved ones buried there.

“They take it so personally,” Father John Perry of the Fall River Diocese said. “It has to do with them, their families, their loved ones -- and oftentimes it's kids fooling around, and they don't -- I don't think they intend to do the measure of harm they do, but the harm is terrible.”

Maintenance crews worked all day to put the stones back in place, but many of the markers are broken beyond repair.

“The stones always belong to the family,” Father Perry said. “If the stone is damaged, it isn't ours, we don't really have the right to repair it or try to do anything with it. If it’s knocked down we’ll try to reset it and put it back.”

Vandalism at Sacred Heart is said to be a chronic problem, but a lack of funding prevents extra security at the cemetery.

Some home owners’ insurance policies cover grave stone repairs.

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