FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 8, 2023
The Diocese of Brooklyn is announcing two hateful acts which took place this afternoon against two Catholic churches, one in Brooklyn and one in Queens.
In the first incident, a vandal desecrated a new shrine statue of Mary, the Blessed Mother, at Resurrection Church in the Gerritsen Beach section of Brooklyn. The white marble statue of Mary was spray painted with black all over her face, shoulders, and hands. Additionally, the word “fake” appears to be spray painted on the statue, as well as lines down and across the statue.
In the second incident, the perpetrator who desecrated St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Astoria one month ago on June 7th returned to the church. The man entered the sanctuary acting erratically, disturbing the youth choir practice, and frightening the children. Police officers from the 114th Precinct responded within minutes. The church was not damaged, and no one was injured.
Arrests were made in both incidents by the New York City Police Department. The Diocese of Brooklyn is grateful to the parishioners and staff in both incidents who stepped in to hold the perpetrators until the police arrived.
A photo of the vandalized statue of the Blessed Mother at Resurrection is attached.
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