Holy statue at BK Diocese defaced
Bensonhurst rallies behind St. A’s, raises thousands to replace toppled cross
BY BEN VERDE
& MEAGHAN MCGOLDRICK
A second vandal desecrated another
Brooklyn Catholic site on May 17, leaving
the borough’s religious community
reeling from the hate crimes and asking
for increased police enforcement.
The Brooklyn Diocese found a
statue of a decapitated baby Jesus in
the arms of the Virgin Mary at the Diocese
administrative offi ces on Prospect
Park West in Windsor Terrace
— which comes just three days after
a scoffl aw defi led St. Athanasius Roman
Catholic Church in Bensonhurst
by toppling a crucifi x and burning an
American fl ag on May 14.
“We are defi nitely concerned that
there is a pattern of hate crimes against
Catholics. There was a hate crime at a
Bensonhurst parish on Friday morning
and now, just a few days later, this
act of hatred has been discovered at
the Diocesan offi ces,” said Monsignor
Anthony M. Hernandez of the Brooklyn
Diocese. “The Diocese will be notifying
our churches to be on alert, and
we are asking the NYPD to increase
patrols in and around the area of our
churches. Hatred and intolerance of
the Catholic faith, and for that matter
any faith, has no place here.”
COURIER L 4 IFE, MAY 21-27, 2021
Both acts are currently being investigated
by the NYPD as a hate crime,
according to the Diocese. Since 2016,
seven Brooklyn churches have fi led
insurance claims related to vandalism,
according to The Tablet.
The incident in Bensonhurst
spurred the local Catholic community
into action, with a fundraiser netting
over $4,000 towards a $5,000 goal in a
matter of hours.
On the evening the
vandalism was discovered,
more than 400 locals
attended a vigil outside
the parish, where
they echoed Monsignor David Cassato’s
calls to love — even in the face of
hate.
“The large turnout for the vigil
on such short notice was a testament
to the strong faith of the people of the
parish of St. Athanasius,” said Brooklyn
Diocese spokesperson John Quaglione.
“If the intent of this vandal was
to deter those who believe and worship
here, they clearly failed. While deeply
saddened and shaken by this hateful
act, the people of St. Athanasius will
move forward united in
proclaiming a message
of peace, love and tolerance.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo
said Saturday he was
“disgusted” by what happened
at St. Athanasius.
“I am disgusted to
learn that St. Athanasius
Church, a historically
Italian American place
of worship in Brooklyn,
has been vandalized,”
he said in a statement.
“These acts of hate
should offend and outrage
every New Yorker,
and I want the Bensonhurst
community to know we will do
everything we can to bring the cowardly
vandals responsible for this to
justice. Hate has no place in our state,
and as New Yorkers we celebrate our
diversity.”
(Above) The toppled crucifi x at St. Athanasius Roman Catholic Church, discovered
by the parish’s monsignor on May 14. (Right) The beheaded baby
Jesus at the Brooklyn Diocese’s administrative offi ces in Windsor Terrace.
Brooklyn Diocese