New York Catholic church suffers fourth vandalism attack in 2 years with destruction of Mary statue

A Catholic parish in New York has suffered what the Diocese of Brooklyn says is the fourth incident of vandalism in two years after a man destroyed a statue of the Blessed Mother in an early-morning attack.

The destructive episode at St. Rita Roman Catholic Church in the neighborhood of Long Island City in Queens occurred on Aug. 1 when a man jumped a fence around the courtyard of the parish and smashed a statue of the Virgin Mother with a hammer.

Photos of the attack showed the statue of Mary knocked off its pedestal and in pieces.

A statue of the Blessed Mother lies in pieces after a vandalism incident at St. Rita Catholic Church in New York City, Aug. 1, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Diocese of Brooklyn/St. Rita Catholic Church

The Brooklyn Diocese said in a news release that the New York Police Department is investigating the incident as a hate crime. A diocesan spokesman told EWTN News that no arrests had yet been made in the case as of the morning of Aug. 6.

The diocese said the attack was the fourth of a series of incidents of vandalism at the parish since 2024. In previous attacks vandals smashed a stained-glass window and defaced statues of both…