A priest in Texas is pointing out the increase in church vandalism in his state and the nation, after a statue of Mary was defaced at his church about a week ago.
Father Adman Purdy of Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Dickinson -a suburb between Houston and Galveston–told Fox 26 Houston about a troubling number of churches being vandalized.
Cases are being reported all over the nation, he said. Church property, including statues of the Virgin Mary and Jesus, are being defaced, and Fr. Purdy does not think these acts of vandalism are completely random.
“Even a couple days ago, in the state of Texas there were two Catholic churches where there was vandalism in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and there was also one in El Paso,” said Fr. Purdy. “The number on the year is already over 100 incidents of vandalism specifically toward Catholic churches.”
His parishioners were at a loss for words when, on Tuesday of last week, they found a statue of Mary on the front steps of their church with its head, hands, and feet cut off. Fr. Purdy said the statue must have been dragged 40 feet.
“I came and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what happened here? I was surprised and was shocked,” said Maria Matties, a churchgoer at Queen of Angels.
The Houston division of the FBI reached out to the Dickinson Police Department, according to Fox 26. Dickinson Police said at this time they are not calling this a hate crime, but are also not ruling it out as they continue their investigation.
In order to be deemed a hate crime under federal statute, it has to be proven that the property vandalized was intentionally damaged, destroyed or defaced because of its religious character.
“It’s really an insult to Catholicism. Catholics are very devoted to the Virgin Mary. We are quite confident that’s what the person intended to do,” said Fr. Purdy, referring to the hate crime allegation.
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Michael Stucchi poses in front of the restored statue of Jesus with children at St. Mel’s Church in Woodland Hills, California. / Photo credit: Tom Hoffarth
Woodland Hills, California, Nov 5, 2022 / 08:00 am (CNA).
In the darkness of an early Saturday morning last March 19, Father Steve Davoren and his golden lab, Blue, came out the back exit of the rectory at St. Mel’s Church in Woodland Hills, California, for a pre-dawn run.
But before he could start, the priest’s heart sank when he saw what the floodlights pointing at the church’s iconic statue cluster of Jesus and three children revealed.
Grainy security footage only captured the arm of a person repeatedly swinging an unidentified weapon at the statues. Pieces fell from what has been a longtime centerpiece of the parish, in a highly visible spot off of busy Ventura Boulevard.
Chunks of the marbled concrete that came off the twisted, exposed rebar were everywhere: in the raised flower bed flanked by white rose bushes, in the parking lot, on the sidewalk next to the parish office.
Davoren immediately called the church’s business manager, Lisa Feliciano, who threw on a hoodie and came right over.
“It was horrific,” Feliciano said. “But now we were putting pieces in a box, crying. I couldn’t believe anyone could have this much hate to do this.”
Feliciano filed a police report along with the surveillance video, which she described as “two minutes of torture.”
“I see it and it still makes me cry,” she said.
Details of the damaged statues of Jesus at St. Mel’s Church in Woodland Hills, California. Photo credit: Michael Stucchi
It fell to Davoren to explain the attack to parishioners the next day at Sunday Masses, preaching understanding and forgiveness in the place of anger and frustration.
“To me, the irony of this was the person who did this had to be a broken person himself,” said Davoren, pastor at St. Mel’s since 2018. “Through Scripture we know we need to pray for people who feel they have to destroy.”
Michael Stucchi heard Davoren’s message loud and clear that weekend. A systems software engineer by trade, Stucchi has found satisfaction working for the parish to restore four in-church statues in the past as well as Nativity scene statues.
He has been their humble go-to, fix-it man. But this was something bigger.
“When I spoke to Father Steve about it a few days after it happened, I admit, I was angry, mad, indignant because the statues were special to me and my family,” said Stucchi, whose son works in the parish office. “But then I heard his sadness and concern for the mental state of the person who damaged the statues. That’s so much like him. This really altered my paradigm from reactive to proactive — to ask if I could look into ways of repairing them.
“Father Steve’s compassion is what Jesus would want us to have. All the people who work here are in the same mindset of love and forgiveness. We have no idea what terrible things are in that person’s life.”
Stucchi and Feliciano started the reconstruction by collecting and studying photographs of the statues to examine all their features. The depiction of Jesus is about 6 feet tall and weighs about 1,000 pounds; each child on its own concrete base weighs about 300 pounds.
The collection dates to the 1950s, when the parish was first built. It had once been part of a fountain display in front of the school office and later relocated near the church’s west doors in the 1990s when the new parish center was built.
Feliciano had contacted the Los Angeles Archdiocese about filing an insurance claim and was told it might cost as much as $30,000 to repair.
Stucchi said he could take care of it, with no charge to the parish.
That didn’t surprise Feliciano, who calls Stucchi “a true angel.”
“Look at the difference between someone filled with hate and destruction … and then someone like Michael who spends his time showing pure love and joy putting it back together,” Feliciano said. “Both are our neighbors, they live among us. How can there be such a vast difference in someone’s heart and soul?”
Michael Stucchi has pieced together the statues at St. Mel’s Church in Woodland Hills, California, to where they may even be in better condition when finished. Photo credit: Michael Stucchi
Stucchi experimented with different combinations of compounds — crushed marble, white Portland cement, and waterproof exterior grout. Most of the work had to be done on site, with some pieces taken to his home garage.
“I was super cautious about not making anything worse,” said Stucchi, noting the materials often dried too quickly in the summer heat, causing more delays. “The saddest part to me was the damage to Jesus. We know enough about the pain and suffering Jesus went through in his life, but to see an image of him obliterated, that’s too much.”
Slowly and meticulously, Stucchi has pieced together the statues to where they may even be in better condition now because of the ways weather and age already caused cracks and decay before the vandalism.
Seven months later, Stucchi has a few finishing touches — and plenty of gratitude — still left.
“As a priest’s sacrifice and commitment are beyond my comprehension or capabilities, having seen their dedication and that of the other volunteers and staff, I felt it’s the least I can do,” Stucchi said. “Notwithstanding, the Catholic Church was always there for me when I was a child and young adult.”
From a business perspective, Feliciano said the experience has taught her about the need for better security. The statues also were previously vandalized in 2021 when someone painted the faces a green color, but they were easy enough to repaint white.
“As a parishioner, the kindness of Michael reminds me that there is goodness in the world,” said Feliciano, who noted the 100-degree days Stucchi spent with the statue last summer. “I am reminded to pray for the person who was filled with enough hate to do the damage and thank God for blessing us with Michael.”
Father Davoren believes that “to some degree, we’re all broken and damaged, but our faith in the love of God allows people like Michael the tenderness to painstakingly put those pieces of the statue back together.
“It’s about giving people the right amount of grace to rebound in their lives.”
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9 Comments
I’m sure our devoutly Catholic president will have some strong words to say about this.
I don’t care much for the modern trend of prosecuting “hate” crimes. Death and destruction are already crimes. Hate is a tragedy but it cannot be legislated from existence, nor prosecuted unless we are willing to accept that civil authorities have a right to force us to reveal what is in our hearts. In today’s zeitgeist, people and governments don’t even seem particularly concerned with the death and destruction, just the hate. Not a promising trend. That being said, if the police department has ever accepted the notion of a “hate crime,” why on earth would this not obviously qualify?
Folks in the Dickinson Police Dept must be a little dim if they are not yet sure this is a hate crime. A RELIGIOUS STATUE was defaced,on church property, in what is clearly intentional vandalism and in no way an accident. What else could this be but a HATE CRIME??? If a rock was thrown through the window of a Mosque, would it be a hate crime??? If Nazi symbols were painted on a Jewish temple would it be a hate crime??? My guess is YES. So why is this different? Destroying a religious statue is not a sign of LOVE, is it? The people of this parish need to be calling their police to demand an investigation as a hate crime and if they refuse to do so, take it to the State Atty General.We cannot remain silent as this just emboldens the attackers. Attacks on Catholic churches are on the increase and it is time for the church to take some action. Sadly, locking churches at dusk might be one such move and placing security cameras on the property outside AND inside is also called for.Its worth the financial investment to put an end to these sorts of crimes. The country is going down the tubes fast. Too many people have no moral compass and no sense of right or wrong. Very sad.
I care about what is done, not the reason for it. I doubt if anybody vandalizes a statue or a church out of benevolence and affection. The penalty for doing this out of stupidity or any other reason should not be any less severe than it would be because it qualifies as a “hate crime,” and the penalty for a “hate crime” should be the same as the same crime committed for any other reason. Otherwise you’re trying to read people’s minds, and that hardly makes for justice.
Kmbold,
Yes, I think that’s mostly the case here. Thankfully.
Too many people vent because they’re anonymous. In real life they’re probably much more mannerly & charitable.
I read this and at first my concern was the church, it’s terrible this is happening. Then my concern went from that to, “Why are reporters not double checking their facts and why are editors not editing?” It’s “Dickinson” not “Dickenson”, which this reporter clearly knows as he spelled it correctly the first time, just didn’t bother to re-read his work apparently. This is partially what’s wrong with the news now, people don’t even bother to spell check, let alone fact check.
The FBI defines a hate crime as a “criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.”
The FBI explains that ‘hatred’ itself is not a crime. When hatred motivates the commission of a crime against persons or property because of prejudice and bias based on the categories, it is defined as a crime of hate. Proving motivation is key in prosecuting a hate crime.
Leslie, below, also has a good point. A crime is a crime is a crime. Individuals and institutions have rights and liberties to own and use property to express religion. A parish is surely free to erect crosses, statues, banners, other signs, symbols or structures on its property (so long as local zoning codes, etc. are followed). The parish has the right to seek redress for wrongs committed against its freedom and rights.
I’m sure our devoutly Catholic president will have some strong words to say about this.
That was a joke, right? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I don’t care much for the modern trend of prosecuting “hate” crimes. Death and destruction are already crimes. Hate is a tragedy but it cannot be legislated from existence, nor prosecuted unless we are willing to accept that civil authorities have a right to force us to reveal what is in our hearts. In today’s zeitgeist, people and governments don’t even seem particularly concerned with the death and destruction, just the hate. Not a promising trend. That being said, if the police department has ever accepted the notion of a “hate crime,” why on earth would this not obviously qualify?
Folks in the Dickinson Police Dept must be a little dim if they are not yet sure this is a hate crime. A RELIGIOUS STATUE was defaced,on church property, in what is clearly intentional vandalism and in no way an accident. What else could this be but a HATE CRIME??? If a rock was thrown through the window of a Mosque, would it be a hate crime??? If Nazi symbols were painted on a Jewish temple would it be a hate crime??? My guess is YES. So why is this different? Destroying a religious statue is not a sign of LOVE, is it? The people of this parish need to be calling their police to demand an investigation as a hate crime and if they refuse to do so, take it to the State Atty General.We cannot remain silent as this just emboldens the attackers. Attacks on Catholic churches are on the increase and it is time for the church to take some action. Sadly, locking churches at dusk might be one such move and placing security cameras on the property outside AND inside is also called for.Its worth the financial investment to put an end to these sorts of crimes. The country is going down the tubes fast. Too many people have no moral compass and no sense of right or wrong. Very sad.
I care about what is done, not the reason for it. I doubt if anybody vandalizes a statue or a church out of benevolence and affection. The penalty for doing this out of stupidity or any other reason should not be any less severe than it would be because it qualifies as a “hate crime,” and the penalty for a “hate crime” should be the same as the same crime committed for any other reason. Otherwise you’re trying to read people’s minds, and that hardly makes for justice.
Unlike the comments on so many sites the ones here are intelligent and charitable. Refreshing.
Kmbold,
Yes, I think that’s mostly the case here. Thankfully.
Too many people vent because they’re anonymous. In real life they’re probably much more mannerly & charitable.
I read this and at first my concern was the church, it’s terrible this is happening. Then my concern went from that to, “Why are reporters not double checking their facts and why are editors not editing?” It’s “Dickinson” not “Dickenson”, which this reporter clearly knows as he spelled it correctly the first time, just didn’t bother to re-read his work apparently. This is partially what’s wrong with the news now, people don’t even bother to spell check, let alone fact check.
The FBI defines a hate crime as a “criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.”
The FBI explains that ‘hatred’ itself is not a crime. When hatred motivates the commission of a crime against persons or property because of prejudice and bias based on the categories, it is defined as a crime of hate. Proving motivation is key in prosecuting a hate crime.
Leslie, below, also has a good point. A crime is a crime is a crime. Individuals and institutions have rights and liberties to own and use property to express religion. A parish is surely free to erect crosses, statues, banners, other signs, symbols or structures on its property (so long as local zoning codes, etc. are followed). The parish has the right to seek redress for wrongs committed against its freedom and rights.