Holy Innocents Catholic School in Long Beach hit by burglars, leaving significant damage behind
By Michele Gile, Dean Fioresi
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LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — An investigation is underway in Long Beach after the Holy Innocents Parish Catholic School was hit by burglars over the weekend, who left a significant amount of damage behind.
Long Beach Police Department officers were dispatched to the school early Monday morning upon learning of the incident. They were called after school officials arrived and found the school’s chapel in complete disarray.
“We feel violated,” said Principal Cyril Cruz. “I feel just really bad for our families, for our scholars.”
She said that the desecration of religious items is what hits her the hardest.
Among the damage is a smashed statue of The Virgin Mary, other religious artifacts, like the tabernacle that stores communion, and destroyed furniture. The alleged burglars also destroyed the school’s internet devices and musical equipment and tossed learning materials and Bibles around the building. A picture of Pope Leo XIV was also shattered.
“They were starting to stack up musical instruments, and different things like that, but the damage that’s particularly done to the sacred objects like the statues and the tabernacle … they took time to really damage those articles,” Cruz said.
Volunteers, staff members and parents worked throughout the day on Monday to clean up the mess, expressing concerns about a potentially bigger issue.
“I’m concerned. I need to know if there was writing on the walls, if there was hate crime targeted because we’re a specific Catholic setting,” said Patricia Torres. “That’s my biggest concern as a parent right now.”
The statue of The Virgin Mary was replaced early Tuesday morning by two parents, who drove to downtown Los Angeles to buy a replacement.
“Yesterday when I saw the pictures of our blessed Mother, broken, I felt a pain in my heart,” said Cristina Pietro. “I was crying. I said, ‘This is not possible.'”
The five-foot statue was back in its rightful place, on an altar in the chapel, by the time school got out.
“I know what happened; it wasn’t good. But I’m glad it was no damage and kids weren’t hurt, the building is still put, it’s not on fire,” said Teresa Han. “But hey, material things we will, little by little, get them back.”
School officials said that Long Beach police had forensic detectives at the scene to try and recover DNA evidence that could point them in the right direction while they search for the suspects.
Mass was canceled for students on Monday morning due to the damage and ongoing investigation, Principal Cruz said. Families and students still came together to pray at lunch time, focusing on those who took the time to damage their school.
“This is continuing to pray for those that need healing as far as doing something this bad,” said Gary Dyogi, one of the parents. “But also know that they will be forgiven.”
Principal Cruz said that police discovered some blood inside the chapel, which they hope will help them identify at least one of the suspects. She noted that they were initially hoping to have the school restored enough for normal operations on Wednesday, but so much work was done on Monday that mass was held as usual on Tuesday, followed by a procession asking for the protection of staff and students.
“Seeing the damage and seeing what has been done, especially to the sacred objects, I don’t know the heart of the person, but there’s definitely, at least I feel, something behind it,” Cruz said.
On Tuesday, church officials learned that Department of Justice investigators were joining the ongoing probe, and that while Long Beach police continue investigating the incident as a burglary, they haven’t been able to determine if anything was actually taken.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn shared a statement on the incident, which she called “a horrific violation of a school and faith community.”
“This should be a safe place for families to live their faith and for children to grow and learn,” her statement said, in part. “Instead, it has been desecrated. I stand with the parishioners and families of Holy Innocents.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, an online fundraiser to help the school recover and repair damages had raised nearly $100,000, thanks in large part of a $10,000 donation from Gabriel Iglesias, the Long Beach native and comedian popularly known as “Fluffy.” The fundraiser can be found by searching for the keywords “Restoring Holy Innocents School After Desecration.”
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