Mandarin Church Statues Destroyed
Damages Estimated In Excess Of $50,000
POSTED: Tuesday, June 23, 2009
UPDATED: 10:24 am EDT June 24,
2009
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Eight religious statues at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Mandarin were damaged and some of them destroyed.
One of the statues was a St. Patrick statue valued at $30,000. One of the other statues vandalized was a blessed mother. It was made of white Italian marble, worth more than $22,000. It is now missing a head as it was kicked off its pedestal.
"It's a very strong disappointment, but we move on," said Father Dan Cody.
Cody said the vandalism was discovered early Sunday morning right before Mass.
The church wasn't the only area hit. Statues were also damaged across the street at the Cody family center and in the back yard near the cemetery. The area known as "Catholic corners" was targeted by vandals.
"We don't like it," said Father Cody. "Nobody does but we're all human. It's not a perfect world. None of us are perfect and we move on."
If anyone has any information on this case they are asked to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500.
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