McHENRY – Three longstanding religious statues welcoming parishioners to St. Mary Catholic Church in McHenry were vandalized over the weekend.

The hands on a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary were heavily damaged, and two angel statues weighing more than 300 pounds apiece were knocked over sometime during the overnight hours Saturday, according to the Rev. Bob Balog. The religious icons combined cost thousands of dollars.

“I’d like to meet the person or people who did this and ask them, ‘Why?’” Balog said. “Somebody out there knows what happened.”

The marble rendering of the Virgin Mary standing more than 48-inches tall had recently been repaired for weather-related wear and tear over years.

This is the first report of vandalism on church property, located at 1401 N. Richmond Road, since two large vases were smashed more than a year ago.

Employees from a Chicago-based company will be visiting the church today to estimate the damage and whether the statues can be repaired or need complete replacement.

The church’s insurance is expected to cover the damage, Balog said.

“It’s just sad that something like this would occur on church property,” he said. “We just had everything replaced and she was beautiful. Someone needs to say something to someone somewhere.”

Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the McHenry Police Department at 815-363-2200.