Holy Natity, an Episcopal church in Norwood on Bainbridge Avenue that overcame a devastating fire in 2009, must now deal with the damage left by an invader who broke into the building and stole a sound system.

The perpetrator or perpetrators apparently climbed over a fence, before forcing their way in through a basement window sometime between Tuesday evening, Oct. 16 and the following morning.

Officers from the 52nd Precinct arrived at the Church of the Holy Nativity, located at 3061 Bainbridge Ave. at East 204th Street, just before 2 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon to make out a report of the incident.

The burglar smashed through several doors and shattered a window in their attempt to locate more of the church’s valuables. The perpetrators also rifled through several cabinets and a desk before finding the sound-system, made up of a microphone and several speakers.

One source at the church said detectives dusted for fingerprints and will look at surveillance video from the area.

The church suffered heavy fire and water damage during a Halloween morning blaze in 2009 that also destroyed a row of businesses. The damage was eventually repaired at the church and the retail building is only now being rebuilt.

The Norwood News will continue to follow this unfolding story. Stay tuned.