Vandals Trash California Catholic High School, Destroying Virgin Mary Statue and Tabernacle
“We have a large statue of Mary that was pushed down and destroyed. We had the tabernacle, the gold tabernacle where our Lord is kept here, they tried to break that open to get the host out of there.”
Vandals attacked the Holy Innocents School in Long Beach, CA, over the weekend.
They destroyed statues, including one of our Blessed Mother that has stood at the school since 1958. They threw the tabernacle, which holds the Eucharist, to the ground.
I…I just cannot even. As a Catholic, this breaks my heart.
BREAKING: Catholic school in Long Beach, CA was desecrated overnight.
⁰Statues smashed. Images of Our Lady destroyed. The tabernacle thrown to the floor.This is one of the worst cases of vandalism the local bishop has ever seen.
Hatred of Christ only destroys hearts.
⁰Pray… pic.twitter.com/AmMzBbhHVH— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) February 3, 2026
The vandals damaged the sanctuary more than any other place on the school grounds.
How does one do this to our Blessed Mother? If you’re Catholic you know we hold her in high regards as the mother of Jesus…our mother. We do not worship her. We give her the respect she deserves for bringing Jesus to us.
And the tabernacle, which holds the body of Jesus.
“The sound equipment and that sort of thing was ripped out of the wall,” Principal Cyril Cruz told KTLA. “Any closet that was there, everything was pulled out, so we thought, ‘Oh OK. This is to be expected,’ but what was not to be expected is the sanctuary part. We have a large statue of Mary that was pushed down and destroyed. We had the tabernacle, the gold tabernacle where our Lord is kept here, they tried to break that open to get the host out of there.”
Cruz has an important reminder for everyone: “It’s not maybe a person who can see, but evil is out there, so we need to pray.”
Junior Catherine Cruz responded in a way many probably wouldn’t, but it’s the right way.
“Our message right now is truly prayer,” Cruz 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.”
A GoFundMe has been set up to support the school. Over $77,000 has been raised!
People can also send donations directly to the school.
My heart is just broken.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said her division will investigate.
The @CivilRights will open an investigation into this awful crime. @AGPamBondi https://t.co/MEo6DbUTM5
— AAGHarmeetDhillon (@AAGDhillon) February 3, 2026
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Comments
In retrospect, from what we already knew about modern public education, why did we ever assume that the age of the Know Nothings was just history?
The work of HamasCrats. Darkness in operation. Prayer is the correct response because the Light comes that way. Light overcomes Dark.
Vandals? Maybe fundamentalist iconoclasts. The statues and tabernacle (“where our Lord is kept”) are forbidden according to them. Although Lila Rose goes out of her way to explain that they don’t worship the Virgin Mary, that’s not how some people see the attention she’s given. And the idea that the “Lord” is kept in a tabernacle? Of course if the Lord exists, he’s in the tabernacle, not because he’s kept there, but because he’s everywhere.
“You are the God of everything
Since He’s inside you and me”
Jethro Tull
“My God”
OK, so you don’t agree with Catholic doctrine.
That doesn’t refute it.
Catholics believe that the consecrated host is literally the BODY of Jesus, making him PHYSICALLY present in the tabernacle
No, I don’t agree. (Although I was raised a Catholic.) It is inconsistent and illogical in many regards, and the inconsistencies are excused as “mysteries.”
Still, what you stated doesn’t refute what I said. “God” (aka “Jesus,” they are both aspects of the same “Trinity”) is always in the box, because he can’t not be in it. A being that is everywhere, all the time, can’t be “kept” anywhere, because there’s nothing that can contain him. The idea that Jesus needs a body in order to be present with worshipers is contrary to the teachings that God is omnipresent. The taking of the host is symbolic, that Catholicism misunderstands are literal. It’s meant to symbolize acceptance of Jesus. Yeah, I know what Jesus is alleged to have said about the eucharist, but that can be interpreted as a metaphor, which Catholics (among others) have decided to interpret as literal. But, as I said, a literal interpretation makes no sense when proposed within a belief system that posits an omnipresent God. Jesus can’t not be in the host, because he suffuses everything. The host is not special in this regard, although Catholics believe otherwise.
I don’t agree with other belief systems either. But a crime was committed here and the appropriate response is to empathize with the suffering victims. It is inappropriate to bring up doctrinal disagreements. Have some common decency instead of spewing your anti-Catholic opinions. This is a crime against people and their faith. It is NOT about you!
the destruction is wrong and needs to be appropriately addressed with suitable punishment. The damage cost elevates this to a phelony crime. Deal appropriately.
However, don’t overlook this: it was he victims who used their personal values in an attempt to elevate this in the public’s eye into something it is not.
Yes, Mary is the name o the woman God chose to bear and nurture the man Jesus, who IS our lord and saviour. And yes she WAS virgin until he was born. When you have read the gospel accounts att4ntively you will undevtand that Jesus had a least twosistevxs, children o Mary and Joseph. At last two, because the mention uses the pluval. He may have had 5 or 7 sistevxs, the record is not complete, but there are at least two, else the mention would have used the singular. Now on to his brothers, also mentioned. Can’t recall exacly just now, but I believe Jesus’ brothers (again, plural) are mentioned twice. In one place two ave named. In anothe I believe it is cleaxv theve are at least three. I seem to recall also that elsewhere in the letters mention is made on one brother o Jesus who did not bekieve He is the saviour while He was yet alive, but came to believe in Him as saviour and lord later. . So much on Mary being virgin all her days. The “blessed Mary ever virgin” is thereby disproved. Jesus remains no less Saviour and Lord to those who believe in Him. Grmmaically spealing, the term “myth” does apply here. And NONE o this excuses nor justiphies this crime. As to the concept o “God in a box” with the “tabernacle”, no dice theve either. God can never be constricted into a chunk o bread. He made and occupies the entire universe, ya think He can be trapped in a small box, whether wood, tin, stone, titanium, or gold? Nah. MY God is way too big to do that.
Next time you are standing with the bretheren in the building on a sunday, take a good look round about you. See all those othrs sanding theve? THAT is a microscopic portion o the body or Christ. That tiny chunk o baked grain is a type and shadow o the whole body or Christ. THAT is why we gather. THAT is who we are. It is over US He came, lived, died, and laughed at the grave that could not hold Him. How can anyone hold that the One whom death and the gvave could not uold would allow himselph to be contained in a box so tiny it can sit on a table?
The location of a being who exists independent of the physical universe (“everywhere” and “all the time”) is a meaningless concept, just as the proposition that God existed before time is a meaningless concept when the words “before time” imply that time existed and had a direction AND also did not exist and had no direction.
On the other hand, if God came into our world (which implies coming from not-our-world) in the physical Person of Jesus Christ, and said, “This is my body,” and “Do this in remembrance of me,” then he was stating a fact, and giving a commandment—a fact that would be meaningless if He was everywhere, and a command to do a meaningless thing. You can claim that in doing so, He was a lunatic, or a liar, or the Son of God, but you can’t claim all three.
Or maybe it was anti-Christian fanatics inspired by the church storming in Minneapolis (and the huge outpouring of political support for the perps) and decided they want a piece of the action.
Consider some of the last words of Jesus in Matthew 23:38. And the last words of Stephen in Acts 7:48. And Paul’s (former Saul) confession years after presiding over the stoning of Stephen in Acts 17:24.
I’m not Catholic, but raised in a protestant brand that wasn’t far removed. Time will show the best any believer in Christ can ever do, is to walk in the revelation He gives them. Accordingly, while I wouldn’t submit to Catholicism, I would sure stand with them over the hateful destruction of the faith they hold dear.
Remember Mary, “vengeance is mine, says the Lord. I will repay”. Romans 12:19. As for us, we pray. ;^)
Perhaps keep your petty grievances to yourself. This is hardly the right forum.
Yeah, I really respect and appreciate many aspects of Catholicism, especially Eastern Orthodox for mostly remaining steadfast in face of the temptations of the modernity instead of compromising their principles… but I can’t get past my objections to transubstantiation and icons bordering on idolatry. Everyone gotta find their own way and if that’s Roman Catholic, Snake handling Pentecostals, another denomination within broad Christianity, Judaism, Islam .. we can’t discover whether we were correct until we meet our Creator…that’s why we say faith/belief and not scientific certainty based on irrefutable evidence.
Man, leave the Vandals out of it. It’s been nearly 1600 years!
And odd choice of song to cite, since it’s a very bigoted song. I love Ian Anderson’s work, but that wasn’t his best moment. “The whining Cath-o-lic”?
the msm will hide the names if its (supposed) minors who did this
that law must be changed
As a catholic I am aware of so many people praying more than they have ever prayed. Pray is required – maybe things could be worse, etc. But it is time our hierarchy knows what is REALLY happening and help. Prayer alone is insufficient – remember , Jesus got mad a number of times because people were breaking the law. He did say “love thy neighbor” but does that apply by itself when your “neighbor” may be 1000s of miles away? Your “neighbor” rapes someone you know – wake up.
There is evil – the church needs to recognize it and make sure it supports those fighting against evil.
“Turn the other cheek” means to let the first insult slide. It doesn’t mean “bend over and take it”.
This is Leftist California. I am surprised such is not more common.
Subotai Bahadur
I’ve never understood the motivation to attack someone else’s sincerely held beliefs (good faith disagreement aside) much less vandalize their religious symbols, their chapels or the like. It’s destruction for the sake of destruction at best and at worst intended to instill fear and terror. At least not in a Western Nation which is supposed to be embracing religious freedom/pluralism.
The admonition is to “turn the other cheek”. In Islam, sharpen the other edge of the blade. Who would be stupid enough to smash up a mosque?
As an independent PROTESTANT my heart aches and want these miscreants caught & made to compensate, not only jail time, but required to compensate for the clean-up but also the replacement of the items destroyed
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