Mt. Lebanon's St. Bernard Church prays for vandals of statue

Parishioners at St. Bernard Church in Mt. Lebanon responded to the desecration of a beloved statue of the Virgin Mary the only way they knew how: with prayer.

Church members said a rosary Tuesday in the grotto where the concrete statue stood and attended Mass afterward.

"It's the parish's prayerful response to what happened," said the Rev. David Bonnar, pastor of the church. "We certainly want to pray for those who did this and to reaffirm our devotion to the Blessed Mother."

On June 6, vandals wrote "666," a satanic symbol, on the statue's forehead and toppled it, breaking its left arm. Probably that same day, vandals wrote "666," "Lucifer" and "Satan" across a door of nearby Mt. Lebanon United Methodist Church in Dormont.

People have contributed more than $3,000 to repair the statue, Bonnar said, but the church is awaiting word from its insurance company about whether the statue can be repaired.

Only one person expressed anger toward the vandals, he said. "Everybody else is of the belief we should pray for these people."

"If you look at Scriptures in all of the episodes with Christ, he did not come back with vengeance," said parishioner Kathy DeRose, 58, of Mt. Lebanon. "He came back with forgiveness."

DeRose learned about the incident in church the following day.

"I was literally crushed," she said. "I was almost in tears. Our Lady is such a powerful force in our Catholic Church."

Deputy Chief Ken Truver of the Mt. Lebanon Police Department said police have made no arrest in the case.