FAR ROCKAWAY — For the third time in less than six months, a statue of the Blessed Mother at St. Gertrude Church was vandalized.
This time, the statue was knocked to the ground, shattered, and damaged beyond repair, officials of the Diocese of Brooklyn said. The NYPD is investigating the incident at the church, which occurred overnight on March 14-15. The incident has been classified as a hate crime.
Father Frank Shannon, pastor of St. Mary Star of the Sea and St. Gertrude (the churches are part of the same parish), said security cameras captured images of a lone vandal smashing the 100-year-old statue with a boulder.
“I almost wanted to cry when I saw it. He took this huge boulder and kept banging it down on her head,” he said, adding that the statue is beyond repair.
The church will seek to replace the statue with one from the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Office of Patrimony, a holding area for statues from closed churches.
“We’re not giving in. Something will go back up,” Father Shannon vowed.
Officials noted that the recent incident marked the third time the same Blessed Mother statue has been vandalized. On Jan. 28, a vandal toppled the statue over. And on Oct. 2, 2025, a vandal covered the statue’s head with a black bag depicting a skull.
No arrests have been made in any of the attacks on the church.
St. Gertrude Church was also the target of thieves who stole a sign listing the church’s name that had been posted outside for 3 years. The thieves left the stand that had been holding up the sign.
It is not clear when the sign was stolen, Father Shannon said, though he estimated it occurred within the past few weeks.
“It doesn’t compare to what they did to the statue of Our Blessed Mother,” Father Shannon said. “But it’s one thing after another. And it really hurts.”
Vandals have also struck at St. Mary Star of the Sea Church.
On Oct. 5, 2025, vandals spray-painted the face of a statue of the Blessed Mother and a statue of St. Thérèse of Lisieux.
The vandals also spray-painted the word “cult” at the foot of the St. Thérèse of Lisieux statue.
Parishioners expressed shock and dismay at the incidents of vandalism.
“This is very difficult to bear,” said Rosa Iris Miranda. “To tell you the truth, it’s heartbreaking. When you see all these things happening to our churches without any respect, without any love, it really breaks my heart.”
