Bishop Zubik To Bless Restored Virgin Mary Statue

Pittsburgh Roman Catholic Bishop David Zubik will bless a Virgin Mary statue that's been restored after being vandalized at a Mount Lebanon church.

Vandals entered St. Bernard Church in Mount Lebanon on June 6 and knocked the 5-foot-tall statue over, breaking its left arm and causing other damage. They also painted "666" in orange on its forehead and tore apart and scattered rosary beads about the grotto.

Pastor Dave Bonnar said it would have been cheaper to replace the statue after it had been damaged, but the decision was made to restore the original.

Link: www.wpxi.com/news/20088229/detail.html

Mt. Lebanon Church's Statue Of The Virgin Mary Damaged By Vandals

The grotto dedicated to the Blessed Mother at St. Bernard Church in Mt. Lebanon was meant to be a place of serenity where parishioners could go to meditate or pray.

But the scene was anything but serene Saturday morning, when a worker opening the church found a statue of the Virgin Mary in the grotto damaged and defaced. The statue had been knocked over, with its left arm and several pieces of the left side broken off.

In addition, 666 was written across the statue's forehead in orange paint. "It's just a really horrific act," said the Rev. David J. Bonnar, who has been pastor at St. Bernard for just two weeks

Link: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09159/975804-55.stm