CV NEWS FEED // Vandals recently defaced a 100-year-old statue of the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child outside St. Theresa’s Church in Briarcliff Manor, New York.
A dark, tar-like substance was poured over the statue, and one of Mary’s hands was broken in the attack, News12 Westchester reported. Parish leaders quickly worked to remove most of the material, but the damage — both physical and spiritual — was deeply felt.
“It filled me with great sadness,” said Father Paul Waddell, pastor of the parish. “Whoever the person is or people that did this, we pray for their conversion, we pray that they may come to know Christ.”
The vandalism occurred sometime between the night of March 29 and March 30. Speaking to NBC News, Fr. Waddell said the act represented “a hatred for Our Lord and for things that we consider holy.”
The pastor also reminded his parishioners that Lent is a season of forgiveness.
“We pray for the person or the people that did this, and we pray really for their conversion — a conversion of heart,” he said. “That’s what Lent is all about.”
Local police are investigating the crime but have yet to make an arrest.
The incident adds to a growing list of anti-Catholic acts reported across the United States. As CatholicVote has previously documented, dozens of churches have faced acts of vandalism and desecration in recent years, often with little public outcry or legal consequence.
>> Tracker: Over 400 Attacks on U.S. Catholic Churches Since May 2020 <<
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