The Saint Anne Catholic Church in Union City was hit by vandals overnight.
Police said a parishioner arrived at the church early on this Ash Wednesday and found something very disturbing.
There was graffiti on the walls, statues were covered in black spray paint, and the cross out front was torn down.
Even though it is the middle of the week, many Catholics attend mass on this day. This is the first day of Lent, which lasts 40-days and ends on Easter.
Union City police said they think the timing of the vandalism is connected to the holiday and have declared the incident a hate crime.
The symbols that were spray-painted on the side of the church were Satanic in nature. It reads in Latin "seize the night" with the word "Satan" at the bottom.
