Damaged but not defeated. That’s the story of Our Lady of Fatima Sculpture here in Washington DC. Look at this breathtaking Carrara marble statue. It depicts Our Lady of Fatima surrounded by the three children Lucia dos Santos Jacinta and Francisco Marto.
This beautiful Our Lady of Fatima Sculpture wasn’t always so serene. In December 2021 a terrible thing happened. Someone vandalized it. They climbed a locked fence. Then they cut off Mary’s hands and nose. Her face was scratched. The cross on her crown was broken. The act was caught on video. The perpetrator wore a mask.
The Our Lady of Fatima Sculpture and its surrounding garden were finished in 2017. It was the 100th anniversary of Mary’s apparitions in Fatima Portugal. Her message then was simple: prayer the rosary and penance could save souls and bring peace. That message remains powerful today.
Bishop Frank J Caggiano blessed the garden in 2017. Thousands of pilgrims attended a Mass to celebrate. The Our Lady of Fatima Sculpture was the centerpiece of the ceremony. Its location within the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception makes it even more significant.
The attack on the Our Lady of Fatima Sculpture was one of many acts of vandalism against Catholic sites in the US. It highlighted a growing concern about religious freedom. Cardinal Timothy Dolan called it an act of hate. He organized a public rosary to pray for religious freedom. The Our Lady of Fatima Sculpture though damaged inspires hope and faith. It symbolizes the enduring power of prayer and peace. The statue will be replaced. The hope is that this beautiful representation of faith will continue to inspire.