The Nation - News from Sept. 23, 1988

Violence in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City that left an usher and his deranged attacker dead was a “special sacrilege and tragedy,” Cardinal John J. O’Connor said as he resanctified the church and prayed for the assailant and victim alike. It was the first time in the 109-year history of the church that the rite to purify a profaned sacred place was performed. The attack occurred about 8 p.m. Wednesday, an hour before the church would close, when a man ran naked through the cathedral and bludgeoned part-time usher John Winters, 77, to death with an iron stanchion. He also injured a worshiper and a police officer before being shot to death by police.