Statues of Our Lady of Fatima and the three children who witnessed her apparitions were vandalized at Church of the Nativity in Burke. According to a letter from the pastor, Father Bob Cilinski, members of the parish discovered the damage on the morning of Jan. 26, and believe the vandalism occurred during the night. The police visited the grotto to document the destruction and start their investigation. The statues were damaged beyond repair and were removed from the grotto.
“I am so saddened by this act of disrespect and destruction of property,” said Father Cilinski in a message to the parish published on the parish website and social media. “The grotto is a place of prayer, peace, and healing. We pray for the person or persons who desecrated this sacred space and for peace in our world and the end of violence.”
“The vandalism of a statue of Our Blessed Mother at the Church of the Nativity is a tragic and senseless defacing of the sacred,” said Bishop Michael F. Burbidge in a statement. “Mary stands as a symbol of peace in a world that needs her now more than ever. I ask that others join me in prayer for the perpetrator, as any motive behind such an act reflects a troubled soul in need of Our Lord.”
On Facebook, parishioners and others expressed their sorrow. “I am so sad to hear this and praying for the ones that felt the need for such destruction. God have mercy on these individuals. Please pray for them,” said one person. Another said, “I’m so very sorry that this vandalism occurred. Like many others, I’ve used this beautiful spot to pray and reflect during the pandemic. You know that the parishioners will help to replace the damaged statues, and we will all pray for the people responsible.”
Instead of posting a photo of the destroyed statues, Father Cilinski posted a photo of the grotto from earlier in January. “The grotto was covered in freshly fallen snow, untouched, pure, unblemished with gentle warm light glistening in the twilight of day,” he said. “May this be a cherished image of healing and peace on this day of some darkness for us. Let us be people of peace who value and respect one another.”
In December, a marble statue of Our Lady of Fatima near the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington was vandalized, with Mary’s hands and nose cut off, her face scratched and the cross on her crown broken off. A spokesman at the national shrine said that around 10:45 p.m. Dec. 5, the perpetrator got to the statue by climbing a locked fence that surrounds a rosary walk and garden that includes the statue. Video footage showed a masked person doing the damage, which was discovered the next morning. Police were investigating the vandalism.
The shrine’s Fatima statue and the garden around it were completed in 2017, the 100th anniversary of Mary’s appearances to three shepherd children in a field near Fatima, Portugal, with her message that eucharistic prayer, recitation of the rosary and penance would save souls and bring peace to the world. The white Carrara marble sculpture of Our Lady of Fatima depicted the three child-visionaries, Lucia dos Santos and Jacinta and Francisco Marto, at Mary’s feet.
Find out more
Go here to donate to the Grotto Restoration Fund.
Catholic News Service contributed to this article.
