A Catholic parish in Queens is once again mourning an act of vandalism after a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was deliberately destroyed on church property, marking the latest in a series of attacks against the parish.
According to LifeSiteNews, surveillance video captured an unidentified man entering the grounds of St. Rita Roman Catholic Church in the Dutch Kills neighborhood of Queens during the early morning hours of August 1. The individual reportedly climbed over a fence into the parish courtyard before using a hammer to destroy a statue of the Blessed Mother.
The attack severed the statue’s head and caused it to fall from its pedestal. According to QNS, the incident represents the fourth act of vandalism directed at St. Rita’s Church since 2024.
Church leaders have faced repeated damage to sacred property over the past two years. Previous incidents included a shattered stained-glass window, damage to a statue of St. Jude inside the church, and the vandalism of a statue of St. Francis of Assisi earlier this year. According to LifeSiteNews, during the April attack, a man spray-painted the word “PAGAN” on the sidewalk in front of the statue of St. Francis.
The New York City Police Department Hate Crimes Task Force has opened an investigation into the latest incident. According to reports, the suspect is described as having a light skin complexion and dark hair. Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline or submit confidential tips through the department’s online reporting system.
The incident follows another shocking desecration reported in New York earlier this year. According to LifeSiteNews, parishioners at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in East Islip discovered that a Sacred Heart statue had been violently damaged when the head of Jesus Christ was severed from the body of the statue. The missing head was later found in nearby bushes.
The repeated attacks on Catholic churches and sacred images have raised concerns among many faithful about the protection of places of worship and the need to safeguard religious property from acts of vandalism and desecration as investigations continue.
