Statues at 2 Queens Catholic Churches Vandalized

Incidents investigated as hate crimes, parishes respond

Mar. 26, 2026 at 10:34pm

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Just days before Holy Week, the NYPD is investigating two recent incidents of vandalism at Catholic churches in Queens, New York as hate crimes. The statue of St. Francis of Assisi at St. Rita's Roman Catholic Church was defaced with blue paint and an arrow spray-painted on the pedestal, while the Statue of the Blessed Mother at St. Gertrude's Roman Catholic Church was knocked over. The churches' pastors have condemned the acts and are working to restore the damaged statues.

Why it matters

The vandalism of religious statues at Catholic churches in the lead-up to Holy Week is seen as a troubling act of intolerance and desecration, raising concerns about the security and sanctity of places of worship in the community.

The details

At St. Rita's Roman Catholic Church in Long Island City, the statue of St. Francis of Assisi was defaced with blue paint and had an arrow spray-painted on the pedestal, coming from the word "pagan" painted on the sidewalk. A week earlier, the Statue of the Blessed Mother in front of St. Gertrude's Roman Catholic Church in Far Rockaway was knocked over. The pastor at St. Gertrude's said the 100-year-old statue has been vandalized three times in the past five months and cannot be fixed this time.

  • The incidents occurred just days before the start of Holy Week.
  • The statue at St. Rita's was vandalized early Saturday morning.
  • The statue at St. Gertrude's was knocked over a week before the incident at St. Rita's.

The players

St. Rita's Roman Catholic Church

A Catholic church in Long Island City, Queens that has been part of the community for 125 years.

St. Gertrude's Roman Catholic Church

A Catholic church in Far Rockaway, Queens that is over 100 years old.

Felix Sanchez

The pastor of St. Rita's Roman Catholic Church.

Anne Long

A resident of Roosevelt Island.

Anthony Torre

The owner of Central Collision, a business across the street from St. Rita's Roman Catholic Church.

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What they’re saying

“I am more worried about the people not feeling free to express their faith.”

— Felix Sanchez, Pastor, St. Rita's Roman Catholic Church

“That's really sad. I don't know what's going on in this world.”

— Anne Long

“I opened up the door, looked across the street, and saw the blue paint. [I was] mortified. Why would somebody do something like that?”

— Anthony Torre, Owner, Central Collision

What’s next

The next step is to give the statue at St. Rita's a fresh coat of concrete paint and to put its plaque back on, tasks that Anthony Torre said he is working on. The goal is to get it all done by Monday, just in time for the start of Holy Week.

The takeaway

The vandalism of religious statues at Catholic churches in Queens in the lead-up to Holy Week is a troubling act of intolerance that has left the affected parishes and communities saddened and concerned about the security of their places of worship. The churches are working to restore the damaged statues and send messages of peace and understanding in response to the incidents.