Virgin Mary statue vandalized at North End church in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Vandals destroyed a statue of the Virgin Mary outside a church in Springfield's North End late Sunday night or early Monday morning.

Parishioners were heart-broken Monday to find the statue had been pushed off its foundation and broken in half.

The destruction looked like it must have taken some time and effort: the statue had been lifted off its steel support pole and pushed off its pedestal in the garden outside Blessed Sacrament Church on Waverly Street.

Witnesses told Daniel Diaz, a neighbor who lives across the street, that  they heard noise and saw two men nearby about midnight Sunday night.

"I passed by and I seen it broken.  People asked: 'what happened?'  I said it looks like somebody hit it with a big hammer.  It's all broken in pieces," Diaz told 22News.

As 22News was leaving the area Monday night, a worker was bringing in bags of concrete to begin work on replacing the broken pedestal.  No word on how parishioners plan to repair or replace the statue of the Virgin Mary.