‘Our response is to do something beautiful,’ Fr. Paul Snyder tells parishioners; plans under way to repair or replace 92-year-old, life-size statue
ROYAL OAK — Fr. Paul Snyder and the community at St. Mary Parish in Royal Oak are increasing their devotion to the Blessed Mother after the desecration of a 92-year-old statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary that adorned the parish vestibule.
“When the Lord is dishonored, we worship with a greater love, devotion and commitment,” Fr. Snyder told Detroit Catholic. “When Mary is dishonored, our response is to honor her all the more. When we are ever hurt, angered or dishonored, our response is to worship God and honor Mary all the more.”
The Royal Oak Police Department arrested a man — later identified as 30-year-old Sung Won Lee — on the parish grounds March 8.
St. Mary hosted Eucharistic adoration and confession on March 8 until 8:30 p.m., with Fr. Snyder closing the church around 9 p.m.
Lee allegedly broken into the church by smashing the glass windowpanes of the front door, gaining access to the vestibule.
The suspect proceeded to damage the 5-foot-6-inch statute of the Virgin Mary and Christ Child in the vestibule, but did not enter the main worship space. A neighbor called the police, Fr. Snyder said, who then took Lee into custody.
Fr. Snyder has been in contact with artists about repairing the statue or figuring out a proper replacement.
“I spoke with someone about the possibility of repairing the statue; it is badly damaged,” Fr. Snyder said. "If it can’t be restored, we will purchase a new statue. The painted glass windows of the door have been replaced.”
The desecration of the Blessed Virgin Mary statue at St. Mary takes place as amidst a rise in property destruction at Catholic worship sites nationwide.
The United States Conferences of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty began tracking such incidents in May 2020, counting 100 acts of arson, vandalism and other destruction that had taken place on Catholic sites across the United States from May 2020 to October 2021.
The break-in at St. Mary's isn't the only local incident in recent years.
In July 2021, a suspect crashed his van through the front doors of St. Joan of Arc Church in St. Clair Shores, apparently intentionally, after witnesses observed a man attempting to smash the doors with a hammer.
In October 2019, a man broke into St. Mary Parish in St. Clair, setting fire to the parish's altar and stealing a crucifix. Earlier that year, a person broke into the sanctuary of St. Mary, Cause of Our Joy Parish in Westland, breaking five-foot-tall statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph and damaging votive candles, rugs, pews and the baptismal font.
Vandals also spray-painted demeaning messages on a statue and door of St. Colette Parish and the Felician Motherhouse in Livonia in 2015 and etched symbols into the base of a statue at St. Priscilla Parish in Livonia.
While the reasons for the vandalism of the statue at St. Mary Parish are unknown, police have said mental health issues may have been a factor.
Fr. Snyder was grateful to the Royal Oak Police Department for a quick response and a nearby women’s Bible study, who came over to the church when they saw police arrive, offering to clean up the broken glass on the floor of the vestibule.
“We are in a good place. We can replace the statue in the vestibule, and we can give God greater honor and glory and praise,” Fr. Snyder said. “We already had in mind to decorate a garden on the north of the church to make it a place of dedication and prayer. Plans have been submitted last week by architects. Our response is to do something beautiful.”
Fr. Snyder addressed the matter with the community during Masses the weekend of March 12-13, asking parishioners to pray for the man in custody and to offer praise to God and honor to Mary. Fr. Snyder said the community isn't afraid and is taking normal precautionary measures.
The remains of the statue are now in the parish office, as the parish waits for a response from restoration experts on whether the statue can be repaired. The parish also is looking into ordering replacements for the original 1953 glass panels that were destroyed.
“We have to special order the same type of glass, but now a substitute is in place,” Fr. Snyder said. “We didn’t want the church to be boarded up, so we have glass panels to serve as a substitute.”
St. Mary has continued its regular liturgical schedule.
Lee has been charged with breaking and entering, and with malicious destruction of property. He is being held on a $25,000 bond.
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