What was supposed to be a peaceful evening of fellowship at St. Patrick's Catholic Church turned into chaos when a dispute over a $500 bingo jackpot escalated into what police are calling "the most unusual church incident of the year."

The trouble began during the final game of the evening when both Margaret O'Sullivan, 73, and Dorothy Kowalski, 68, claimed to have achieved bingo simultaneously. What started as a polite disagreement quickly devolved into accusations of cheating, leading to a confrontation that would require police intervention.

"I've been calling bingo for fifteen years, and I've never seen anything like it," said volunteer caller Father Murphy, who was still visibly shaken hours after the incident. "One minute they're arguing about who called bingo first, the next minute communion wafers are flying through the air."

According to witnesses, the dispute intensified when O'Sullivan accused Kowalski of using an unauthorized lucky charm – a small statue of St. Anthony that she claimed gave her an unfair advantage. Kowalski responded by questioning the legitimacy of O'Sullivan's card, suggesting it had been pre-marked.

"Dorothy called Margaret a cheater, and Margaret called Dorothy a few things that definitely shouldn't be said in a church," reported witness Helen Martinez. "That's when things got really ugly."

The situation reached its peak when O'Sullivan, in a moment of apparent desperation, grabbed a handful of communion wafers from a nearby table set up for the next morning's Mass and hurled them at her opponent. Kowalski retaliated by throwing her bingo dauber, which struck the statue of the Sacred Heart.

I never thought I'd have to arrest someone for assault with communion wafers. In twenty years on the force, this is definitely a first.

The incident prompted an immediate response from parish leadership. Father Patrick O'Brien, the pastor, issued a statement expressing his disappointment: "While we appreciate the enthusiasm our parishioners bring to our fundraising events, we cannot tolerate behavior that disrupts the sacred nature of our church space."

Both women were issued citations for disturbing the peace and banned from future bingo nights pending a parish disciplinary hearing. The $500 jackpot remains in dispute, with parish council members scheduled to review security footage to determine the legitimate winner.

"This whole thing is ridiculous," said O'Sullivan in a brief phone interview. "I've been playing bingo at St. Patrick's since 1987, and I know when I have a winning card. Dorothy's just a sore loser who can't accept that her lucky streak is over."

Kowalski declined to comment directly but had her daughter issue a statement: "My mother is a devout Catholic who would never cheat at bingo. She's being unfairly targeted because she's won three times this month."

The incident has prompted the parish to review its bingo night policies. New rules being considered include mandatory cooling-off periods between games, the prohibition of personal lucky charms, and the installation of security cameras in the parish hall.

"We're also looking into hiring professional bingo callers," added Father O'Brien. "Father Murphy has requested to be reassigned to less stressful duties, like exorcisms."

The communion wafers involved in the incident were deemed unsuitable for liturgical use and were properly disposed of according to Catholic protocol. The parish has also scheduled a special reconciliation service for all bingo participants.

Local police have increased patrols around the church on bingo nights, though Officer Sullivan hopes this was an isolated incident. "I really don't want to become known as the cop who breaks up church bingo fights," he said.

Despite the controversy, parish officials report that ticket sales for next week's bingo night remain strong, with several parishioners expressing hope that the drama might make the games "more exciting."