A shrine at St. Bernadette Parish on Rockford’s west side has been vandalized a second time on July 24.
The first time the parish’s roadside shrine was vandalized, someone allegedly took a hammer to it and broke the body of Jesus. So the parish repaired it. Then, early on the morning of July 24, someone took what may have been a sledgehammer to the rebuilt shrine and damaged it again.
The plan is to rebuild it again. “The shrine is an image of the love of God in giving His life on the cross. So how could it possibly be good news that it was destroyed again?” asks a question on a note sent to parishioners. “Because the people of St. Bernadette Church are a people of love and life.
Whoever is destroying this shrine has some kind of false idea of who Jesus is,” the answer reads. Then it challenges parishioners to pray the rosary, the Divine Mercy chaplet, or to offer their Communion at Mass “to seek the graces and blessing of God for those in need, and the person or persons who have been destroying our shrine,” as well as “for those who are poor and in need.”
A video explaining previous vandalism at the parish is at https://www.youtube.
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