Church officials in Blair County say they were left shocked and confused ahead of Easter weekend.
Earlier this week, leaders at St. Mary’s Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church found a beloved statue vandalized.
They say the incident happened on Tuesday when the statue was found surrounded by three juveniles by an Altoona School District maintenance worker at around 10 P.M. Officials say when the worker got out of his car, the suspects ran away.
The next morning, church officials say they found the statue of Mary holding Jesus knocked to the ground and shattered. They say the statue has been outside of the church for around 30 years. They say many of the church goers have noticed its disappearance.
St. Mary’s Director of Religious Education Deborah Bartley says, “When I pull down into the parking lot, I see the statue. and to pull in and look and see that the statue was laying down and crumbled, that the blessed mothers head of the statue was shattered. I was in shock.”
Officials say security cameras were unable to capture video of the vandals. However, they say local Altoona High School officials have been extremely helpful when it comes to finding those responsible.
Church officials say they have a message for the vandals:
Bartley says, “Its just a statue, we understand that, but it’s a statue that represents the name of our parish, St. Mary’s Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church, and that means something to us.”
Officials say the statue cannot be repaired, but they are accepting donations to purchase a new one. For the time being, a smaller statue is in the place of the original.
“Easter is a time of forgiveness, Jesus died on the cross for our sins, we must also be forgiving, but I think there also needs to be some consequences if we can identify the youth that did this,” says Bartley.
You can find out where to donate to the church through their Facebook.
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