CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The man charged with assaulting a reverend and multiple churchgoers on Sunday morning at St. Paul’s Memorial Church spent about 90 minutes in the parish hall, sipping coffee and interacting calmly with others, before his attack.

“The assailant was welcomed, displayed friendliness and gratitude for hospitality while simultaneously manifesting signs of mental illness, and became violent in an instant,” the church said in a statement released to the media, including Cville Right Now. “We pray that the assailant will have access to, and avail himself of the medical treatment he obviously needs to keep him and the public safe in the future.”

St. Paul’s released details of the incident in a statement that thanked police and EMTs who responded to the 911 call just before the Sunday morning service.

The assailant was not known to those at the church, according to the release. He was subdued by parishioners before being taken into custody by Charlottesville Police. The church reported only minor injuries. Sunday morning service was delayed by about 10 minutes but went on without incident.

Police arrested Phillip Salkowe, charging him with seven counts of assault and battery.

“He became agitated and began muttering about what he was ‘going to have to do to these people,’” according to the statement. “He then punched the Rector, the Rev. William Peyton, and began running through the building attacking, apparently at random, those who had begun to gather in advance of the 10 a.m. service. He punched several people, threw a chair, and head-butted one person. Parishioners pinned him to the floor just before the police arrived.”

It’s unclear what prompted the violence.

“At no time did the assailant express any political, religious, or ideological agenda of any kind,” according to the statement.

Prior to the assault, Salkowe told people in the church he had slept outside the night before and asked if the church could provide him with breakfast.

“When he was told there was no food in the kitchen because the various church programs that include meals were on hiatus for the summer, he was disappointed but polite,” according to the statement. “He asked for another cup of coffee and was invited to have as much as he liked.”

St. Paul’s, which is on University Avenue, was founded as a mission in 1910, is a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia and part of the Anglican Communion. It is the official Episcopal campus ministry for undergraduates at the University of Virginia.

“St. Paul’s is committed to maintaining and operating our building as a space that is both hospitable and safe,” according to the statement. “We welcome strangers. On the rare occasions when visitors display inappropriate or threatening behavior, we ask them to leave and sometimes bar them from the church property. We do not equate mental illness with violence.”