The community at St. Elisabeth of Hungary Church in Van Nuys is asking for prayers after a mural of Our Lady of Guadalupe was vandalized on church grounds.
The parish’s security system recorded video footage of an unknown man dressed in black approaching the mural with a sledgehammer at 1:40 a.m. Wednesday morning. He can be seen smashing the tiles that make up Our Lady’s face several times before fleeing. The police are currently investigating.
The hand-painted tile mural stands between the church and the rectory. It was installed over 35 years ago as a “symbol of community unity,” said business manager Irma Ochoa. Each square tile was sponsored by a parish family. Overlooking a small altar, the mural has become a popular place for parishioners to pray and light candles, asking Our Lady for special blessings.
Also on Friday, a local artist, Geo Rhodes, was scheduled to visit the mural and discuss a plan for repair, arranged by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. “We hope that soon we will restore the image, or have a new one more beautiful than the one we had before,” Fr. Di Marzio said.
Full story at Angelus News.
From the website of St. Elisabeth’s Parish, Van Nuys:
The Image of our Lady on Cedros Ave. has been severely vandalized. This is one of our saddest moments in addition to our pandemic times ever since. It was hit 13 times with a long sledgehammer at 1.40a early Wednesday and was clearly recorded on our security video camera. Fr. Vito, our Pastor, led several of our parishioners and our school kids in prayer for peace, unity and order in our parish community area as well as for the person who perpetrated this sacrilegious act on our Blessed Mother.
In here, we request for your monetary assistance and hereby ask for your most generous donation in restoring the intricate and delicate tile painting of Mother Mary. We will also install a plexiglass casing enclosure for added security and protection. You may submit your donation thru this website, mail-in or drop-off your donation in the Parish Office and indicate Guadalupe Restoration Fund on your envelope. Thank you very much!
I’m beginning to think that churches should install sprinkler systems of holy water, set to spray vandals at first strike, Might be interesting to see the sizzle and steam. (And, yes, I am taking this seriously: my parish has been vandalized, a few years ago.)
So you have a magical view of how sacramentals work?
We all know where attacks on Mary come from. Lord, I offer you the Immaculate Heart of Mary with all It’s unrequited love for Your creatures, in reparation for all the outrages and sins against Her which offend You so much.
Where do they come from?
Every day that passes is a day closer to the Dies Irae.
That is true and always has been.
Are you ready?
i agree Clinton R.
Dies Irae
Where NOTHING will remain Unavenged.
Next the priest and parishioners will be attacked, and probably during Mass. Vandalizing property is a step on the ladder of violence.
Good they had a security camera. Perhaps the police labs can enhance the image to identify the criminal.
mikem, I hope you are right. But even if the police identify and apprehend the criminal, there’s a new DA in Los Angeles County who seems hell-bent on making sure that nobody goes to jail. That goes double when an “un-Woke” like a religious institution was the victim. We’re in a new world where tried-and-true values are being turned on their head, so that every good thing our forefathers fought to build can be torn down.
Acts of desperation like this only means we apparently have the demonic realm on the run….wouldn’t seem like it reading the news, but, there it is…must be doing a lot better than we thought!
Doing better than we thought would mean the guy was caught on camera praying before the image of Our Lady rather than defacing her.