Thieves have violently desecrated a Catholic school chapel in California during a weekend robbery, shattering a historic statue of the Virgin Mary and smashing a sacred tabernacle, with parents now expressing fears that the attack could have been motivated by religious hatred.
School Community Left Shaken by Brutal Attack
The burglars ransacked the Holy Innocents Parish Catholic School in Long Beach, causing extensive damage to the holy building. Police surveyed the scene on Monday morning to find Bibles hurled across rooms, learning materials torn and scattered on the ground, and furniture completely destroyed.
Patricia Torres, a local parent, voiced her concerns to CBS News, stating her fear that the brutal attack on the religious institution could constitute a hate crime. "I'm concerned. I need to know if there was written on the walls, if there was a hate crime targeted because we're a specific Catholic setting," she said. "That's my biggest concern as a parent right now."
Sacred Artefacts Deliberately Destroyed
Tony Tripp, the school’s director of advancement, provided disturbing details about the destruction. He explained that the burglars used the large statue of Mary, which dated from the school's opening in 1958, as a tool to break open the tabernacle—a sacred storage device for the eucharistic host.
"The biggest damage that was most surprising was done to the sanctuary where they took the tabernacle out of the sanctuary and tried to break it open," Tripp told ABC 7. "We have a large statue of Mary that was from 1958 when the school opened, and they threw it on the ground and took our podium and threw it on top of the statue to break it."
In addition to the religious artefacts, the school's internet devices, musical equipment, and expensive sound systems were also destroyed during the rampage.
Students Respond with Prayer and Forgiveness
Despite the shocking violence against their place of worship, the school community has demonstrated remarkable resilience. Eleventh-grader Catherine Cruz told KTLA that students continue to pray for those responsible for the destruction.
"Our message right now is truly prayer," she said. "They are still created by God, and so we still want to love them, even though they did a terrible thing; we still want to pray for them."
Investigation and Recovery Efforts Underway
Forensic teams have swept the chapel area in search of DNA evidence, with Principal Cruz confirming to CBS News that traces of blood were recovered inside the building. Police hope this evidence will help identify at least one of the suspects involved in the robbery.
The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has opened an investigation into the burglary, according to a statement on social media platform X. Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for civil rights, wrote: "The @CivilRights will open an investigation into this awful crime."
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help the school pay for the extensive repairs needed for the desecrated chapel. As of February 3, the campaign has raised over $60,000, including one generous donation exceeding $10,000.
Police have not yet confirmed whether any arrests have been made in connection with the robbery or what specific items were stolen from the chapel. The school's principal indicated that, despite being rocked by the incident, normal operations should resume by Wednesday.
