MANCHESTER — Two nuns, victims of a purse thief, said it was heartwarming to see the outpouring of community support at their annual fair this past weekend.

“We are very, very touched and we also feel for this young man,” said Sister Jackie Brodeur of the Sisters of the Holy Cross. “We hope if they catch him they can give him some help because he is on the wrong road now.”

She said the fair held at 357 Island Pond Road is always successful, but this year there were some newcomers because of the publicity surrounding the thefts.

Some generous people, she said, also stopped by St. George Manor, the sisters’ residence, with donations that totaled nearly $1,000.

Sister Jackie’s purse was taken Thursday afternoon from her office. Also stolen that day were a new Xbox 360, lottery scratch tickets and other items to be sold at Saturday’s fair. At the time, Sister Jackie and three maintenance workers were setting up the hall for the annual event.

The sisters believe a man who did some maintenance work at the manor was responsible for the theft.

Eight days earlier, on Oct. 10, a purse belonging to Sister Lucille Gravel was taken from her bedroom. Sister Lucille said whoever took her purse had to have a familiarity with the building because her bedroom is in an out-of-the way location. A week later, she said, her Nook was stolen.

When Sister Jackie realized her purse was gone last Thursday, she immediately canceled her credit card. But, she said, her credit card company told her it had already been fraudulently used for four transactions including a $250 charge for an Xbox 360 console and $129 in gas for two vehicles. An attempt to charge another $195 at Walmart was rejected, she said.

Detective David Dupont went to the stores where the credit card was used and obtained a photo of the individual from Walmart’s video-surveillance system.

Police released that photo but the sisters say he is not the individual they suspect took the purses, but someone they believe is his accomplice.

Sister Lucille said police recovered some of the stolen items, including her Nook, at a pawn shop, although the property has yet to be returned to her.

She looks at the incident as a case of something good following something bad. “In a way, it allowed people to be generous,” she said.

Anyone with information concerning the man’s identity is asked to call Detective Dupont at 668-8711, ext 399.