The historic Five Wounds Portuguese National Church in San Jose is making plans to repair the damage to a door in its front entrance from a shocking Christmas Eve attack by a pipe-wielding stranger, but church officials acknowledged this week that a 107-year-old stained glass window in the door cannot be repaired.
“The main centennial vestibule door was damaged and the original glass broken,” said Tribuna Portuguesa editor Miguel Avila in response to inquiries from San Jose Inside about the vandalism that occurred at the beginning of a Christmas Eve family mass, prompting families to duck for cover in the church pews.
Interior of historic landmark, Five Wounds Portuguese National Church. Church photo
Fortunately, the hooded man who smashed the church’s front door did not come into the sanctuary or cause any injuries before fleeing into the night.
Three days after the vandalism attack, San Jose police announced the arrest of the man they said vandalized the Five Wounds church door and charged him with the attempted murder of a man at a nearby homeless encampment.
“While we will try to replicate the glasswork design, nothing will replace the original from 1918,” Avila told San Jose Inside this week. Police estimated damages totalled at least $20,000. Tribuna Portuguesa is a Portuguese-language Modesto-based newspaper with a statewide readership.
Just as Rev. Father Julius Ntalo and Pato were beginning the 6pm family mass on Dec. 24, parishioners heard crashing sounds at the church’s front vestibule.
After the incident, San Jose police remained at the church, standing guard outside the church during the traditional midnight Christmas Eve mass.
Police reported that on Dec. 27 officers responded to a 10:14am report of a disturbance involving a weapon in the area of Tully Road and Highway 101, near an encampment adjacent to the highway off-ramp. They said they found an adult male suffering “life-threatening injuries” who had been struck in the head with a metal pole.
An ambulance team stabilized his condition at the encampment, and he was transported to a local hospital, where survived, police said.
From eyewitnesses, patrol officers identified the suspect as Jonathan Nunez, 30, of San Jose, who remains in the San Jose Main Jail awaiting trial. On Dec. 28, 2025, patrol officers located Nunez in the city of San José.
The Five Wounds Portuguese National Church – Igreja Nacional Portuguesa das Cinco Chagas – in San Jose's Little Portugal was founded in 1914 by the Portuguese community, built with timber from the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition's Portuguese Pavilion, and dedicated in 1919 as a cultural and spiritual center, featuring unique architecture inspired by a Portuguese church.
The design mirrors Holy Cross Church in Braga, Portugal, with ornate woodwork and painted altars and is a designated city landmark.
