Vandals desecrate Gerritsen Beach
Virgin Mary in third similar incident
BY JESSICA PARKS
Police are investigating the
vandalism of a Virgin Mary
statue in Gerritsen Beach —
and this isn’t the fi rst time that
scoundrels have desecrated a
monument to the sacred religious
fi gure, according to a rep
with the Brooklyn Diocese.
“From the perspective of
the Diocese, it is not isolated,”
said John Quaglione. “In the
last few months, there has
been a pattern of attacks specifi
cally on the Virgin Mary.”
On Oct. 19, congregants at
the Resurrection Roman Catholic
Church were shocked to
discover that the ne’er-dowells
had torn off the Virgin
Mary’s left hand and right fi ngers,
while visibly cracking
the head of the beloved stone
depiction, according to Quaglione.
Authorities are investigating
the incident as a potential
hate crime, according to an
NYPD spokesperson.
The church administration
asked members of the community
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not to bash the offender,
and to instead fi nd forgiveness
and pray for whoever they are
in an Oct. 20 Facebook post.
“I know it’s hurtful but try
to say a prayer for the person
that did it and keep all people
that are gone from the church
in your prayers,” wrote Deacon
John Hardy.
While this may have been
a random incident for the
Gerritsen Avenue church, it
comes after a number of other
incidents targeting effi gies of
the iconic saint.
On Sept. 11 at Coney Island’s
Shrine Church of Our
Lady of Solace, mischief-makers
topped over a fi gure portraying
the Lady of Guadalupe
— another form of the Virgin
Mary in the Catholic religion.
In July, vandals spray
painted “idol” onto a Virgin
Mary statue outside of Cathedral
Prep School and Seminary
in Queens.
While Quaglione believes
the incidents were unrelated
acts of vandalism caused by separate
individuals, he expressed
sadness at the desecration of the
saint, who has become a symbol
of hope for millions amid the
coronavirus pandemic.
“During the height of coronavirus,
the bishops of the
United States rededicated the
country to the Blessed Mother
and asked for a cure to the
pandemic,” he said.
Now, in the wake of wreckage
the Gerritsen Beach, community
members have come
together around their beloved
house of worship — including
the local Knights of Columbus,
who have pitched in to
help raise funds to repair or
replace the decades-old statue,
which has stood tall in the
Gerritsen Beach community
for four decades.
“We work closely with our
church,” said John Naimoli,
the past grand knight of the
Reverend Matthew’s Council of
the Knights of Columbus 5989.
“The statue has been with our
church for over 40 years.”
The group’s fundraiser,
which they started on Oct. 21,
raised over $2,500 to fi x the
sculpture — and said any additional
funds would be given
directly to the church.
“So far we are getting overwhelming
success just from
the neighborhood alone,”
Naimoli said. “The neighborhood
and the community have
come out big time over this.”
Those looking to donate can
mail or deliver funds to the local
Knights of Columbus headquarters
at 2882 Gerritsen Ave.
Parishioners found the Virgin Mary statue at Resurrection Roman Catholic
Church had been vandalized around Oct. 19. Brooklyn Diocese
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