The Rector of Clonard has told of how the Redemptorist community have been left at their "wits end" by anti-social youths.
The west Belfast church was targeted four times over the weekend by boys aged between 14 and 15, who broke a window, stole food from the kitchen and one teen who exposed himself to an elderly priest.
Fr Burns said the youths had been broken into Clonard's gardens, destroying lights and tearing up flowers.
On Friday night, the rector said the police were called after youths scaled a lamp-post at the back of Clonard church at Waterville Street and got onto to the roof of an outbuilding in the monastery grounds and threw stones at the church windows.
They returned on Saturday afternoon and broke a window, which leads into the kitchen storeroom.
One of them then exposed himself to an elderly priest.
The gang then returned again on Saturday night and after getting into the kitchen through the window they had broken earlier, stole food.
They then threw the food all over a building and a footpath.
Fr Burns, who said the Redemptorist community at Clonard is made up of 14 priests, 12 of whom are aged over 75, branded the actions "disgraceful".
He said the Redemptorist community had held a meeting with representatives from Community Restorative Justice (CRJ), Clonard Residents Association and youth workers in the area.
The Rector said the youths involved are "incredibly brazen".
"It is very intimidating and we can't go out to the garden because we don't know when they will be there," he said.
"They are verbally abusive.
"We are at our wits end".
Fr Burns said once those involved were identified, CRJ would be contacting their parents.
"This has been going on for years," he said.
"We're a very elderly community. They are going from one part of the garden to another and scaling the wall and getting into the car park. It's a game to them".
Fr Burns said he would be contacting the police again today.
