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Sacred Heart Statue Beheaded at Long Island Church in Act of Anti-Christian Vandalism
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East Islip, NY — Parishioners at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in East Islip, Long Island, were left shaken after discovering that a Sacred Heart of Jesus statue on church grounds had been violently beheaded—its severed head later found discarded in nearby bushes.
The Incident
The desecration was discovered around 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, 2026, as families gathered at the church for Mass and First Holy Communion celebrations—a day typically filled with joy and photographs in the church garden where the statue stood.
Security camera footage reviewed by church officials showed a single individual carrying out the act of beheading the resin and fiberglass statue, which had stood at the parish for approximately 15 years. The head was later discovered not far from the statue itself, hidden in bushes by a group doing spring planting.
Pastor Responds with Prayer and Forgiveness
The Rev. Anthony Iaconis, pastor of St. Mary’s, responded to the vandalism with a message of Christian charity rather than anger.
“It’s a terrible thing. I just ask people to pray for the person who did this. It’s not right, but we can still pray for them,” Father Iaconis told local media.
Speaking directly to the unknown perpetrator, he added: “If you need help, ask for it. Destroying things is not gonna do you any good.”
Father Iaconis noted that while a statue of Mary was vandalized at the church roughly 30 years ago, such incidents remain rare in the East Islip community. “In this area, I’m not so concerned… It’s not like we’re in one of these big cities where it’s happening to different places,” he said. “For somebody to do this, they can’t, obviously, they’re not in their right mind.”
Community Outpoured with Support
The attack has deeply affected the tight-knit parish community. Regina Vavricka, a parishioner of nearly 60 years, expressed the collective shock: “I think everyone would be upset by it, whether you belong to this parish or not, or whether you’re Catholic or Jewish, it doesn’t really matter.”
In a visible sign of solidarity, parishioners have been placing flowers at the base of the damaged statue. Donations have already begun pouring in to fund repairs, with a contractor already contacted and restoration expected to be completed within the week.
Hate Crimes Unit Investigating
The Suffolk County Police Department’s Hate Crimes Unit is actively investigating the incident and searching for the person responsible. While no clear motive has been established, the nature of the attack—targeting a religious symbol in a deliberate act of desecration—has raised concerns about rising anti-Christian hostility.
The Diocese of Rockville Centre also issued a statement through spokesman Fr. Eric Fasano: “Along with the parishioners of Saint Mary’s Church, the Diocese is troubled by the vandalism to the statue of Our Lord. As the investigation continues, we pray that justice will be restored for the parish.”
Part of a Disturbing National Trend
The East Islip incident is not an isolated case. It forms part of a documented surge in attacks against Christian churches across the United States.
According to data from the Family Research Council, 1,384 acts of hostility against U.S. churches were documented between January 2018 and December 2024. The numbers spiked dramatically in 2022 following the leak of the Supreme Court’s draft Dobbs decision, with incidents more than doubling to 198 that year. In 2023, attacks more than doubled again to 485 before leveling off at 415 in 2024. The vast majority of these incidents were classified as vandalism.
CatholicVote, an American advocacy organization, has documented at least 563 attacks against Catholic churches since May 2020, with 20 such incidents already recorded in 2026.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has separately tracked at least 416 incidents of vandalism, arson, or destruction at Catholic sites across 43 states and Washington, D.C. since May 2020.
Recent incidents in the New York area include attacks on St. Rita’s in Long Island City, where a St. Francis of Assisi statue was defaced with blue paint and the word “pagan” spray-painted nearby, and St. Gertrude’s in Far Rockaway, where a 100-year-old Blessed Mother statue was smashed beyond repair—the third attack on that statue in less than six months.
The investigation into the St. Mary’s statue vandalism remains ongoing. Anyone with information is urged to contact Suffolk County Police.
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