Vandalized Virgin Mary statue back up with help from neighbors, parishioners

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - A statue of the Virgin Mary is back up outside a Springfield church, all thanks to some parishioners who were determined to have the mother of their church back on her feet again.

The statue outside the Blessed Sacrament Church in the North End was destroyed over the holiday weekend. It had been lifted off its steel support pole and pushed off its pedestal. The angels around it were smashed.

But the Church's pastor, Monsignor Juan F. Garcia, says that just hours after the vandalism was discovered, the Ayala family, which lives across the street from the church, donated their time and supplies to put the statue back up.

Witnesses told police they heard a noise around midnight Sunday, and they thought they saw two men outside the church. Of course, when they saw what happened, they were heartbroken.

"I cried, actually cried, but it felt so good to put it back up and see it standing again," said Hilda Guzman of Springfield, who helped put the statue back up.

Parishioner David Gonzalez told 22News he wasn't so much angry about what happened as he was sad for the people who did this.

“The persons who committed this act of violence, they didn’t commit it against a statue, they committed it against a house of God,” Gonzalez said.

“This is what I advise every Catholic up there; join me in prayers for the people who really did this, because they’re the ones who need the prayers.”

Msgr. Garcia says that he thinks that the incident was not just a random act of vandalism, but that the parish will just put the statue back up if this ever happens again.

“Our answer is to put the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary back up again, and any other time they will repeat their act of craziness, we’ll answer the same way; put it back up again,” Garcia said.

The pastor told 22News that the Diocese’s insurance will cover the cost of further repairs to the statue.