By CatholicVote | Created at 2024-10-22 21:13:08 | Updated at 2024-10-23 22:34:42
1 day ago
CV NEWS FEED // A Maronite Catholic Church in New Castle, Pennsylvania, has suffered vandalism to a statue of its patron, St. John the Baptist.
The cherished life-sized statue, which had stood in front of St. John the Baptist Maronite Catholic Church in New Castle for nearly two decades, was violently vandalized October 17 at about 6:50 p.m., leaving the parish community devastated.
A witness reportedly saw 28-year-old David Shillingburg, a former tenant of the City Rescue Mission, using a hammer to smash the statue. He was caught on camera by a bystander. Shillingburg, now wanted on an arrest warrant, faces felony charges of criminal mischief and institutional vandalism. According to the criminal complaint, a witness told the police that Shillingburg referred to the statue as “a disgrace to the church of Jesus Christ” before defacing it.
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Fr. Hanna Karam, the church’s current pastor, was shocked to discover the vandalism shortly after a liturgy that same evening. “He cut the head off St. John,” Fr. Karam said, pointing out the tragic irony that St. John the Baptist was also beheaded in martyrdom. Fr. Karam gathered the broken pieces, hoping to find a way to repair the statue.
He also shared concerns for the safety of the church, stating that recent acts of vandalism had targeted the rectory’s gardens, forcing him to take additional security measures such as locking gates and planning to install cameras.
Rose Byer, who donated the statue in memory of her parents and husband, described the heartbreak felt by many in the congregation after the head and hands of the statue were destroyed with a hammer.
“Quite a few of our parishioners are just sick to their stomachs to see something like that,” said Byer, a resident of Wampum.
The stone statue had been a centerpiece for church families, who gathered around it for weddings, First Communions, and other celebrations. Byer herself had decorated it with seasonal flowers for years, honoring her loved ones through this statue of St John.
The statue, which cost $10,000 when it was installed in 2005 or 2006, now faces replacement costs estimated between $18,000 and $20,000. Byer explained that her family had strong ties to the South Side church, where her family business had donated the steel for the building’s construction. Her husband, who worked in the trucking industry, often helped the church by hauling pews and furniture.
“I was born and raised on the South Side, and we’ve never even had a broken window at the church,” Byer remarked, reflecting on the peaceful history of the church community, which has been located there since the 1950s.
Parishioner George Gabriel expressed his dismay over the incident, saying, “I’m deeply disappointed and hurt that somebody would commit this kind of crime.”
The congregation was already small, with only 30 to 40 active families, but this act of violence has shaken their tight-knit community.
Despite the devastation, Byer remains determined.
“If the statue cannot be repaired,” she vowed, “I have every intent of replacing it.”
The Lebanese Maronite congregation, which recently hosted a successful Middle Eastern food festival, continues to hold onto their faith and the cultural traditions that have long defined their community.
“The church was our everything when we were younger,” Byer said. “Now we’re a small parish, but we make the best of what we have.”
