- Justin Haggerty | The Daily Knight
California parish restores vandalized Our Lady of Guadalupe statue
The restored statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in Upland, California. Courtesy photo.
St. Joseph Parish in Upland, California, has restored a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, after it was kicked over and damaged on July 21st.
Unclear of the motive, but the vandalism is indirectly associated with the anti-Christian climate that is being fostered by the liberal media's refusal to cover and denounce the rhetoric and violent actions from members of Antifa and BLM. The crime comes only two weeks after the burning of two Catholic churches in California and Florida, and the several dozen attacks against chapels and statues depicting Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Junipero Serra, St. King Louis IX, General Kosciuszko, and Christopher Columbus.
As reported by the Catholic News Agency, "security cameras, on July 1, at St. Joseph Parish captured a video of a young man approach a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe and kick the statue repeatedly until it fell from its base. Metal rays from behind the statue can be seen to crack off."
CNA also expressed that Fr. Timothy Do, the parish pastor, asked parishioners to “pray for peace in the world, the end of hatred and anger, and that we continue to have compassion and love for each other,” in a video released on Facebook July 22. Parishoners gathered around the statue to join in prayer of the Holy Rosary and the chaplet of divine mercy.
The vandal, depicted in the surveillance video, has not yet been identified.
The parish announced on Facebook, posted on July 27, that it had repaired the damage done to the vandalized statue and restored it to its place outside the church.
“Our Lady of Guadalupe statue has been restored back with a stronger base. She still looks so beautiful. Yes, she is still standing strong on our parish ground to intercede our prayers to her beloved Son, Jesus,” wrote Fr. Timothy.
In Christ Crucified and the Most Victorious Heart of Jesus.
