Parishioners at St. Francis de Sales Church in Belle Harbor, Queens, New York, are reeling after discovering a beloved statue of the Risen Christ, erected in memory of the victims of 9/11 in the parish prayer garden, stripped of its hands and streaked in paint.

CBS2 is reporting that police are investigating the incident which was discovered by a parishioner last Tuesday. Both hands had been severed and were sitting on the ground in front of the statute, folded in prayer. What appeared to be a streak of paint was slashed across the arms of the statue. It is not yet known exactly when the vandalism occurred.

Parishioners in this community are particularly upset because the statue was erected in memory of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 which crashed in Belle Harbor a few months later that left 265 people dead.

“It was a little heart-wrenching, going out to see the damage that was done,” said the Rev. Thomas Doyle, pastor of St. Francis.

He has decided to keep the damaged statue inside the church to remind parishioners of their resiliency.

“I think that will kind of rally us around; you know, that we need to pull together,” Doyle said.

Parishioners were outraged by the desecration.

“I don’t see why someone would do something like that to our community,” one parishioner told CBS2.

Another said it was a shame that someone would do something like that to a religious article.

Thus far, no suspects have been named in the case.

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