Our Lady of Guadalupe mural vandalized at Texas Catholic church
The mural was restored the following day as parish leaders prayed for the person responsible.
A decades-old mural of Our Lady of Guadalupe was vandalized Aug. 12 in Alice, Texas, leaving streaks of what appeared to be black paint across a work of art that had become a symbol of peace for the local community, according to reports.
Father Carlos De la Rosa, the parish’s parochial administrator at St. Joseph Catholic Church, told 3News in an Aug. 12 report how the parish was responding to the damage.
“We have a lot of hope that the person who did this will repent,” Father De la Rosa said, “and we will continue to pray for them.”
The image of the Blessed Mother at St. Joseph’s was painted by a former gang member who left crime behind and renewed his faith, according to 3News.
South Texas Catholic, the official publication of the Archdiocese of Corpus Christi, reported that the image’s artist Marin Garcia, upon learning of the vandalism, immediately came to the church to repair the image. The publication said others also offered their help and expertise.
In an Aug. 13 Facebook post, St. Joseph Catholic Church announced that the mural had been restored.
“Let's continue to pray for the person who vandalized the mural,” the South Texas Catholic said in an Aug. 13 post, “knowing that God's love always exceeds our human expectations.”
The reports did not identify a suspect or disclose a possible motive for the vandalism.
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