Just in the last six months, there have been four incidents of vandalism at Catholic churches in New York City, which only adds to the hundreds of attacks on Churches since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022.  What can we do about it?

According to a recent report by the Catholic League, the first incident took place on June 11 at St. Dominic’s Church in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.  A man wielding a hammer attacked statues of Mother Theresa and St. John XXIII outside of the church, which left the faces of both statues destroyed. The man also damaged the glass doors of the church.

Thankfully, Joanne Liggiri, who lives across the street from the church, was able to capture the attack on video.

“This man just randomly started breaking all the windows and he was moving towards the statue,” Liggiri told News12 Brooklyn. “I gave the description of what he was wearing… they were able to get him within seconds.”

A man named Randy Maldonado Avila, who was known to have a history of mental health issues, was arrested for the crime.

Less than a month later, on June 30, Holy Family Church in Flushing, Queens, was attacked at 5:00 a.m. According to a video of the incident, the suspect, later identified as Jamshaid Choudhry, stopped the taxi cab he was driving on the opposite side of the street around 5:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. He got out of the car, took off his shoe, then proceeded to use the shoe as a club to attack the statue of the Holy Family.

“Then he goes to the front of the statue and starts hitting the face of St. Joseph, then attacks the Blessed Mother, then attacks the face of the Child Jesus,” said pastor Father Sean Suckiel to ABC7 News.

Choudhry pounded at the head of the Child Jesus until it finally snapped off of the statue.

Choudhry was later charged with criminal mischief as a hate crime and other related crimes.
Sadly, this is the second occurrence of vandalism at the church in the past year.

Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Jamaica, Queens, was attacked on September 24 by a bearded man in a red t-shirt who jumped over the fence and repeatedly struck the statue of the Blessed Mother outside of the rectory, breaking the hands.

“The man picked up a rock from the parish garden and began to repeatedly strike the statue, causing damage to the face, side, and hands of the Blessed Mother statue,” the Diocese said in a statement to the New York Post. “The hands, which were in a praying position, were found on the ground near the statue.”

Father Victor M. Bolaños, the church’s pastor, told the Post that he believes the culprit, who has not yet been caught, may be opposing the beautiful virtues that Our Lady represents.

“Mary is a source of humility, charity, and love. Because there are people in this world who oppose these virtues, there are some who are bothered by them. It is necessary to pray for this man and for all those who are deceived by the evil one, that they may come to see the love of God. It is then that their anger against what is humble, charitable, and lovable, may come to an end.”

The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is currently investigating the crime.

A week later, on October 6, a man defaced statues of Christ with profanity and strange markings outside the St. Frances Cabrini Shrine in Washington Heights, Manhattan. The man also spray painted profanity on the church and covered the face of St. Frances Cabrini with black spray paint.

“There’s no permanent damage. It was just very, very ugly,” said Julia Attaway, executive director of the shrine to the New York Daily News.

She refused to elaborate on the contents of the graffiti. “It was vile. That’s all I’ll say. We don’t need to put images in anyone’s head,” she said. “It was ugly and intentionally hurtful. It was an attack on the beliefs of Christians and the Catholic Church. People will do what they do, and we have to be who we are.”

The suspect is still at large. The crime is being investigated by the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force.

St. Therese of Lisieux Church in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, was attacked on October 22 by a man wearing an orange headscarf who used a brick to smash the hands on a statue of the Blessed Mother. He also broke the cross that was in the hands of the statue of St. Therese.

According to ABC7 News, a video shows the suspect enter the garden, then climb onto the statue and kiss it twice, then use a brick to smash one of the arms of the statue. Other parts of the statue, which was newly renovated, were also damaged. The culprit then went to another statue of St. Therese and broke off the crucifix she was holding in her hand.

“I’m not going to judge anyone,” said pastor Father Liju Augustine. “Am I angry towards that person? Not at all, I’m not angry at all to that person, but I’m saddened when I see my people’s faith and how they are going to perceive it,” Augustine said.

No has been arrested for the crime which is being investigated by the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force.

In their most recent report on the State of Religious Liberty in the United States, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) ranked attacks against houses of worship as the top threat to religious liberty in 2024.

While noting that this threat is a continuation of the property crimes perpetrated against the Church since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, the highly charged atmosphere surrounding the 2024 election has only heightened these threats.

“…[T]he 2024 election might lead far-left extremists to escalate the severity of attacks on Catholic churches, and far-right extremists may view Catholic churches and Catholic Charities facilities as targets for anti-immigrant sentiment or, worse, violent action,” the report states.

Other than threats to the lives of the faithful, “there is no greater threat to religious liberty than for one’s house of worship to become a place of danger, and the country sadly finds itself in a place where that danger is real.”

The bishops suggest that we respond to to this crisis by doing our part in fostering a society that is free of hatred.

“Speak up for the equal and inherent dignity of all people. Bear public witness to Christ’s call to show care and compassion for the vulnerable. Pray for peace.”

In addition, “help keep your neighbors and your own house of worship safe. Recognize and report signs of potential attacks, and encourage your pastor to utilize the “Protecting Houses of Worship” resources published by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

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