Holy Ghost Parish priest dodges knife attack during Sunday mass; would-be assailant arrested, charged By: Erik Pindera Posted: 1:10 PM CST Monday, Feb. 10, 2025 Last Modified: 6:42 PM CST Monday, Feb. 10, 2025 Updates

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The Catholic priest, wearing deep-green vestments, makes his way to the front of the church while chanting prayers in Polish, bowing a knee before climbing the two steps to the altar.

Without warning, a bald man in a bright yellow jacket and sneakers strides purposefully towards the cleric and, with a knife in his right hand, lunges, attempting to stab him.

The cleric screams, turns and flees. The attacker turns, plunges the knife into the altar table and quietly walks to a chair and sits down before several parishioners — including an off-duty RCMP officer — attending Sunday mass at Holy Ghost Parish calmly approach and detain him.

No one was injured in the shocking scene that played out at the North End church, captured on a 50-second video recorded from the livestream of the service.

It’s the latest in a recent, disturbing number of incidents involving houses of worship in the inner city, sanctuaries previously spared of the violence and other social ills that have forced church officials to increase security measures.

Winnipeg Police Service spokeswoman Const. Dani McKinnon said nothing specifically appeared to precipitate the attempted assault on the 38-year-old priest at about 6 p.m.

“This was extremely unexpected. We don’t often hear of acts of violence occurring within places of worship in Winnipeg,” McKinnon said Monday.

“Police do not believe that the accused in this matter regularly attended the church or was part of the congregation, so it is more disturbing in that a motive hasn’t been established or may not until (the charges proceed to) court.”

The pastor told police he did not recognize the suspect, McKinnon said.

“He seems driven in the video, he seems to know where he wants to go with the assault,” said McKinnon.

“The pastor, he essentially stepped off the line of attack and saved himself.”

McKinnon said said it’s “a bit of a miracle” that no one was hurt and that the RCMP officer was among the parishioners at the Selkirk Avenue house of worship.

She said the video captured the majority of the attempted attack. “The time frame of the video appears to reflect the time frame of the incident.”

McKinnon said she and other officers in the police public information office were shocked when they learned of the attack Monday morning.

“We were taken aback,” she said. “It’s not typical… it did seem random.”

She said investigators do not yet know why the man, who has had past interactions with city police, attempted the assault.

The Archdiocese of Winnipeg said it awaits “a judge’s ruling” after the incident.

“This was extremely unexpected. We don’t often hear of acts of violence occurring within places of worship in Winnipeg.”–WPS Const. Dani McKinnon

“We are grateful that no one was hurt,” it said.

Pawel Olownia, 50, of Winnipeg, has been charged with assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon and disturbing a meeting. He was detained in custody.

He was convicted in July 2018 of assaulting a peace officer with a weapon and given 11 months in jail, court records show.

Olownia was also convicted of assault, theft under $5,000 and uttering threats in 2004, for which he received probation. He also has impaired driving convictions.

Church leaders in Winnipeg’s inner city have recently raised concerns with crime and vandalism around their buildings, with some increasing security measures.

The Sunday incident could serve as a cautionary lesson for churches, said Ahmed Jibo, pastor of Pilgrim Baptist Church in South Point Douglas.

“I ask, how can I make the church members more safe?” he said on Monday. “We have to learn something from there, and be more cautious.”

“I ask, how can I make the church members more safe?….We have to learn something from there, and be more cautious.”–Pilgrim Baptist Church pastor Ahmed Jibo

Before services start at Pilgrim Baptist Church, greeters are positioned at the door to welcome parishioners and show them to their seats.

They, along with Jibo, know the people who normally attend services, he said.

Erik Parker, pastor of Sherwood Park Lutheran Church in East Kildonan, said the incident, which was rare, could spur some places of worship to discuss security measures or the safety of their community.

“It’s certainly concerning that somebody would interrupt a gathering, a worship service, in such a way with violent intentions,” he said.

Some churches keep their doors locked at times as a precaution, Parker said, adding places of worship do not want to create barriers for regular or new visitors.

“You want to be open and available to the public, and to have your space be a welcoming space,” he said.

On Monday evening, about a dozen people attended mass at the church.

One parishioner told the Free Press he is concerned for his safety following the incident.

Another said his vehicle parked near the church was previously vandalized.

— With files from Dean Pritchard, Chris Kitching and Scott Billeck

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca