Over the past few years, beginning with the urban riots that took place in 2020, there was a rash of anti-Catholic crimes across the nation. Monuments were destroyed, iconic statues were bludgeoned, gravesites were desecrated, Masses were interrupted, graffiti was spray-painted on church walls, windows were smashed, churches were torched, schools were vandalized, chalices were stolen, etc.
We put together a representative list of these incidents. In some cases, messages were left indicating that the offenses were a payback to Catholics for their strong pro-life stand. Many wild-eyed charges were levied against the Church, seeking to justify the violence.
A few other organizations, Catholic, Protestant and non-sectarian, published a list of pro-life offices, usually crisis pregnancy centers, that were trashed. Our list is different. We decided to publish a list of only those incidents that targeted Catholic entities, mostly churches, even though many of the pro-life facilities were manned by Catholics.
In some cases, the guilty were caught and charged with a hate crime. In most cases, they were either not apprehended or were not prosecuted.
The violence was a one-sided phenomenon: Catholics and pro-life Americans did not respond in kind.
In June, Bill Donohue wrote to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland asking for an investigation of these offenses. He never replied.
May 6, 2020: St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, Casper, WY—Pulpit, altar, and statue damaged
May 28, 2020: Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis, MN—Someone broke into the church and poured flammable liquid under the pews, lighting a fire that damaged pews and the floor
May 29, 2020: St. Jude Chapel, Dallas, TX—Exterior damaged, including thrown rocks shattering windows
May 29, 2020: Cathedral of the Assumption, Louisville, KY—Thrown rocks shattered rectory windows
May 30, 2020: Our Lady of Mt. Lebanon-St. Peter Cathedral, Los Angeles, CA—Church exterior graffitied with “prosecute killer cops,” “ACAB” [All Cops Are Bastards], “Kill all cops,” and “Make America pay for its crimes against Black lives”
May 31, 2020: Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Denver, CO—Church exterior damaged over multiple nights, including smashed gates, grafitti with messages such as “God is dead” and “There is no God,” and windows shattered by rocks
June 22, 2020: Providence College, Providence, RI—At a Catholic college’s on-campus cemetery for deceased priests who taught at the school, a man defaced gravestones by painting swastikas and anti-Catholic language, burned some American flags that were next to the graves, and assaulted a college security guard
July 3, 2020: St. Ann Catholic Parish, Gary, IN—Outdoor statue of St. Mary beheaded and hands severed
July 5-6, 2020: St. Bernadette Catholic Church, Rockford, IL—Crucifix at roadside shrine smashed
July 10, 2020: Cathedral Prep School and Seminary, Elmhurst, NY —Outdoor statue of St. Mary spray painted with word “IDOL”
July 11, 2020: Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, San Gabriel, CA—Fire at 249-year-old church destroyed the roof, pews, and more
July 11, 2020: Queen of Peace Catholic Church, Ocala, FL—Man crashed minivan through church door, poured gasoline on the foyer and lit it on fire. People were inside the church, preparing for Mass.
July 12, 2020: St. Peter’s Parish, Dorchester, MA—Outdoor statue of St. Mary burned
July 13, 2020: St. Stephen Catholic Church, Chattanooga, TN—Statue of St. Mary beheaded
July 14, 2020: St. Mary’s Cathedral, Colorado Springs, CO—Statue of St. Mary painted red
July 15, 2020: Good Shepherd Catholic Church, Miami, FL—Outdoor statue of Jesus knocked over and beheaded
July 15, 2020: St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, New Haven, CT—Satanic and anarchist symbols painted on the front door of the church
July 19, 2020: Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church, Bloomingburg, NY—Abortion monument toppled
August 3, 2020: Sacred Heart Church, Weymouth, MA—Fires set at church entrance
August 8, 2020: Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Wounded Knee, SD—Deconsecrated the church destroyed in suspected arson
August 9, 2020: Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine, Denver, CO—Statue of St. Jude beheaded
August 17, 2020: Holy Family Parish, Citrus Heights, CA—Statue of Mary beheaded, swastika spray-painted on Ten Commandments
August 24, 2020: Our Lady Help of Christians Church, Allentown, PA—Attempted beheading of statue of Mary
August 25, 2020: St. James Church, Kenosha, WI—Anti-religious graffiti spray-painted on Catholic Church site during protests over police shooting of Jacob Blake
September 9, 2020: Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Tioga, LA—Statues damaged and beheaded, windows broken
September 11, 2020: Shrine Church of Our Lady of Solace, Brooklyn, NY—Statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe toppled
September 14, 2020: St. Therese of the Child Jesus Catholic Church, Midvale, UT—Statue of St. Therese toppled, beheaded; parish office burglarized
September 15, 2020: St. Patrick Cathedral, El Paso, TX—Statue of Jesus topped, beheaded
September 23, 2020: Incarnation Catholic Church, Town ‘n’ Country, FL—Man breaks church windows, sets pews on fire
September 24, 2020: Assumption Seminary, San Antonio, TX—Man with baseball bat damages crucifix, doors at Catholic seminary
September 26, 2020: St. Peter’s Chaldean Catholic Cathedral and Our Mother of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, El Cajon, CA—Churches graffitied with swastikas, “White Power,” upside down crosses, “BLM,” and “Biden 2020”
September 29, 2020: St. Joseph Cupertino Catholic Church, Fall River, MA—Statues of Joseph, Mary, and infant Jesus decapitated, heads carried away
September 29, 2020: Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, Fall River, MA—Rocks, cinderblocks thrown through windows of Catholic church, decapitated heads of holy family statues found on site
October 12, 2020: Mission San Rafael Arcángel, San Rafael, CA—Statue of Junipero Serra defaced and pulled down
October 19, 2020: Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, Magnolia, AR—Pro-life display vandalized. The display consists of 150 small white crosses and a banner, which were knocked down
October 20, 2020: Resurrection Roman Catholic Church, Brooklyn, NY—Statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary found vandalized; left hand was cut off, and there was a crack along her head
October 21, 2020: St. Germaine Catholic Church, Prescott Valley, AZ—Statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ found toppled; gardens surrounding the statues were also damaged
October 22, 2020: St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Scranton, PA—Statue of Mary toppled
October 25, 2020: St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church, Louisville, KY—Altar vandalized
November 8, 2020: Mother Cabrini Catholic Church, Shamokin, PA—Head of Jesus stolen from crucifix
November 9, 2020: St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Chicago, IL—Statue of Mary graffitied, “God is dead” spray-painted on church exterior
November 10, 2020: St. Gabriel Elementary School, Milford, CT—Portrait of St. Pope John Paul II defaced
November 15, 2020: Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Brewster, WA—Apparent arson attack
November 23, 2020: St. Bernard Catholic Church, FL—Statue of Jesus smashed with rock, two other statues decapitated and pushed into sewer drain, garden set on fire with accelerant
December 2, 2020: St. Joseph Catholic Church, Derry, PA—Multiple incidents of vandalism including toppling of statues, tearing down stations of the cross
December 6, 2020: St. Louis Catholic Church, Houma, LA—Church buildings and bathroom spray-painted
December 11, 2020: Mission San Juan Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, CA—Front entrance to site graffitied
December 25, 2020: St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Indianapolis, IN—Nativity scene vandalized on Christmas morning
December 28, 2020: Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, Fall River, MA—Stained glass windows vandalized
January 1, 2021: St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York, NY—Cathedral tagged with anti-police graffiti
January 19, 2021: Rosary Cathedral, Toledo, OH—Graffiti and arson at Cathedral
January 29, 2021: Queen of Peace Catholic Church, Houston, TX—Statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe shot six times
February 10, 2021: St. Pius X, El Paso, TX—Three angel statues toppled and broken
February 16, 2021: St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, Denver, CO—Statue and flower pots around altar damaged
February 25, 2021: St. Mary of the Knobs Catholic Church, Floyds Knobs, IN—Chapel doors and statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary vandalized
February 27, 2021: Basilica of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Youngstown, OH—Several statues vandalized
March 2, 2021: St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, Ft. Worth, TX—Vandals damaged statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Thomas the Apostle
March 12, 2021: St. Teresa of Calcutta Church, St. John Paul II Academy, and St. Monica-St. Augustine Catholic Church, Boston, MA—Unkown substance inserted into locks, statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary knocked down
March 22, 2021: St. Charles Catholic Church, Spokane, WA—Fire at St. Charles Catholic School is being investigated as possible arson
April 1, 2021: Abbey of Our Lady of Ephesus, Gower, MO—Gunshots fired at abbey of Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles
April 15, 2021: Holy Rosary Church,Woodland, CA —Statues of three female saints vandalized
April 17, 2021: St. Mary’s Cathedral, Fargo, ND—Face of statue of Jesus vandalized
April 18, 2021: St. John Vianney, Rancho Cordova, CA—Statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary spray painted
April 18, 2021: Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Woodland, CA—Statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Mary Magdalene, and St. John, spray painted
April 26, 2021: St. Elisabeth Catholic Church, Van Nuys, CA—Man smashed face of Our Lady of Guadalupe with a sledgehammer
May 3, 2021: St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Waltham, MA—Statue of Jesus Christ decapitated
May 5, 2021: McCarren Park, Brooklyn, NY—Statue of Polish priest vandalized
May 6, 2021: Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Riverside, CA—Stained glass windows broken and statue of San Juan Diego vandalized
May 8, 2021: Our Lady of Grace, Everett, MA—Rocks thrown through stained glass windows
May 9, 2021: St. Thomas More Catholic Church, Narragansett, RI—Statue of Jesus Christ vandalized
May 14, 2021: St. Athanasius Catholic Church, Brooklyn, NY—Large crucifix toppled and smashed, American flag burned
May 15, 2021: Our Lady of Mount Carmel-St. Benedicta-St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, Staten Island, NY—Statues of Our Lady of Carmel and the Sacred Heart of Jesus vandalized
May 17, 2021: Diocese of Brooklyn, Brooklyn, NY—Statue of baby Jesus decapitated
May 27, 2021: Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church, Leavenworth, WA—Audio equipment stolen and multiple fire extinguishers deployed inside the church
June 4, 2021: St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Port Charlotte, FL—Man caught on camera vandalizing doors and stained glass
June 8, 2021: Immaculate Conception Church, Queens, NY—Graffiti spray-painted on exterior of church
June 19, 2021: St. Veronica’s Catholic Church, Philadelphia, PA—Fire started at front door of church
June 30, 2021: Holy Ghost Catholic Church, Denver, CO—Graffiti painted on exterior of church
July 1, 2021: Holy Rosary Church, Jersey City, NJ—Statue of Blessed Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus vandalized and stolen
July 2, 2021: St. James Cathedral, Seattle, WA—Front doors of church vandalized with red paint
July 4, 2021: St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Merced, CA—Man seen on camera using red paint to vandalize church buildings and statues
July 7, 2021: Basilica of St. Lawrence, Asheville, NC—Statue of Jesus covered in red paint
July 12, 2021: St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Parish, Portland, OR—Church vandalized by fire and graffiti
July 12, 2021: St. Patrick Catholic Church, Portland, OR—Church vandalized by fire and graffiti
July 12, 2021: St. Andrew Catholic Church, Portland, OR—Church vandalized by fire and graffiti
July 12, 2021: Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, Portland, OR—Church vandalized by fire and graffiti
July 17, 2021: Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church, Forest Hills, NY—Woman seen on camera smashing statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Thérèse of Lisieux
August 6, 2021: St. Benedict Catholic Church, Seattle, WA—Doors vandalized with black paint
August 9, 2021: Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Mary, Bronx, NY—Statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary vandalized
August 17, 2021: St. Michael’s Church, Flushing, NY—Statue of the St. Bernadette knocked down
August 29, 2021: St. Martha Catholic Church, Miami Shores, FL, —Statues of Jesus vandalized
September 2, 2021: St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, Jay, ME—Exterior of church and parish hall vandalized with white paint
September 5, 2021: St. Louis Catholic Church, Louisville, CO—Graffiti found on church’s door, sign, and garden sign
September 23, 2021: St. Peter Armenian Apostolic Church, Van Nuys, CA—Stained glass windows smashed
September 29, 2021: Sacred Heart of Mary Catholic Church, Boulder, CO—Windows broken and exterior spray painted with pro-abortion messages
September 29, 2021: St. Martha Catholic Church, Miami Shores, FL —Statues of Jesus vandalized
October 10, 2021: Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Denver, CO—Hateful messages and other graffiti found spray painted on exterior wall and door
October 10, 2021: St. Edward Church, Seattle, WA—Windows broken and exterior vandalized with spray paint
October 11, 2021: St. Peter Italian Catholic Church, Los Angeles, CA—Paint splattered over the exterior of the church
October 11, 2021: Arrupe Jesuit Residence, Seattle University, Seattle, WA—Graffiti painted on exterior wall of residence
October 21, 2021: American Martyrs Catholic Church, Manhattan Beach, CA—Hateful messages spray-painted on exterior wall of church
October 22, 2021: Annunciation Catholic Church, Washington, DC—Swastika painted on a pillar in church parking lot
October 24, 2021: St. Charles Borromeo, Tacoma, WA—Fire set to parish office
November 1, 2021: St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, Fargo, ND—Statue of St. Anthony of Padua decapitated
November 5, 2021: Mission San Jose, Fremont, CA—Graffiti spray-painted on exterior of Catholic mission
November 9, 2021: St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, Chicago, IL—Graffiti painted on exterior walls
November 28, 2021: Catholic Charities, Knoxville, TN—Fire at Catholic Charities, causing destruction of roof and one fifth of the building
November 29, 2021: St. Peter’s Catholic Church, DeLand, FL—Windows smashed and statues toppled
December 7, 2021: Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, DC—Statue of Our Lady of Fatima vandalized
December 12, 2021: Mary Mother of God Catholic Church, Hillsborough, NJ—Christmas decorations damaged and stolen
December 23, 2021: Mary Mother of God Catholic Church, Hillsborough, NJ—Christmas decorations damaged and stolen
December 29, 2021: Mary Mother of God Catholic Church, Hillsborough, NJ—Christmas decorations damaged and stolen
January 14, 2022: St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Fresno, CA—Tabernacle vandalized, money stolen
January 26, 2022: Church of the Nativity, Burke, VA—Statues of Our Lady of Fatima and children who witnessed apparitions decapitated
January 27, 2022: Greenwood Catholic Church, Greenwood, MS—Interior of church vandalized
February 14, 2022: St. Therese of the Infant Jesus Catholic Church’s Shrine of the Little Flower, Albuquerque, NM—Stained glass windows smashed
February 17, 2022: Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Milledgeville, GA—Two statues of angels knocked down
February 23, 2022: St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, San Antonio, TX—Statue of the Holy Family stolen from parking lot
February 28, 2022: St. Michael the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church, Baltimore, MD—Tombstones at Ukrainian Catholic cemetery defaced
March 1, 2022: Holy Family Catholic Church, Jacksonville, FL—Statue of the Holy Family defaced with blasphemous words and imagery
March 8, 2022: St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Royal Oak, MI—Interior and exterior of church vandalized, statue damaged
April 1, 2022: St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, North Beach, MD—Sanctuary vandalized, crucifix and stained glass window damaged
April 8, 2022: Cristo Rey Catholic Church, Austin, TX—Thirty windows and front door broken by rocks
May 4, 2022: Sacred Heart of Mary Catholic Church, Boulder, CO—Pro-abortion messages spray-painted on front doors
May 5, 2022: Saint Joseph’s Church and Academy, Armada, MI—Satanic symbols, messages spray-painted on door and sign
May 7, 2022: St. Pope John XXIII Catholic Church, Fort Collins, CO—Pro-abortion messages spray-painted on front doors, glass panels smashed
May 9, 2022: St. Bartholomew the Apostle Catholic Church, Katy, TX—Theft of Tabernacle containing Body and Blood of Jesus Christ
May 9, 2022: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, Katy, TX—Building vandalized with pro-abortion messages, attempted desecration of Eucharist
May 9, 2022: Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Houston, TX—Pro-abortion messages painted on front doors
May 9, 2022: St. Louis Catholic Church, Louisville, CO—Vandalized with pro-abortion messages
May 17, 2022: Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, New York, NY—Statues of Lúcia dos Santos and Jacinta Marto, two of the children who witnessed the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, smashed and decapitated
May 19, 2022: Notre Dame de Lourdes, Swarthmore, PA—Pro-abortion messages spray-painted on front doors of church building
May 22, 2022: St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Olympia, WA—Pro-abortion messages spray-painted on church building
May 29, 2022: St. Augustine Catholic Church, Brooklyn, NY—Tabernacle stolen, Holy Eucharist thrown on floor, statues of angels on the altar decapitated and destroyed
June 23, 2022: St. Margaret’s Roman Catholic Church, Buffalo, NY—Religious statues and garden pots smashed
June 25, 2022: Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church, New Orleans, LA—Statue memorializing children who died of abortion defaced
June 25, 2022: St. John Neumann Catholic Community Church, Reston, VA—Pro-abortion messages spray-painted on church building; mulch set on fire
June 25, 2022: St. Colman Catholic Church, Shady Spring, WV—Historic church burned to ground in suspected arson attack
June 25, 2022: All Saints Parish, Portland, OR—Sign vandalized with pro-abortion messages
June 25, 2022: St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, Harlingen, TX—Two statues of angels stolen, statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary toppled
June 25, 2022: St. Anthony Parish, Renton, WA—Pro-abortion messages spray-painted on walls, stained glass windows broken
June 25, 2022: St. Patrick Catholic Church, Philadelphia, PA—Church defaced with pro-abortion messages
June 25, 2022: St. Therese of the Little Flower Catholic Church, South Bend, IN—Church’s memorial to the unborn vandalized
June 27, 2022: Ascension Roman Catholic Church, New York, NY—Church defaced with graffiti
June 28, 2022: St. Louise Catholic Church, Bellevue, WA—Man spray-painted anti-religious messages on building, damaged doors with rocks, and threatened people at the church building
June 30, 2022: St. Anthony of Padua School, Lorain, OH—Fire suspected as arson caused estimated 1 million dollars in damages to school
July 1, 2022: St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Tilden, WI—Sidewalk spray-painted outside church building
July 1, 2022: Notre Dame Catholic Church, Chippewa Falls, WI—Sidewalk spray-painted outside church building
July 1, 2022: Holy Ghost Parish, Chippewa Falls, WI—Sidewalk spray-painted outside church building
July 1, 2022: St. Charles Catholic Church, Chippewa Falls, WI—Sidewalk spray-painted outside church building
July 3, 2022: Holy Family Catholic Church, Hillsborough, NC—Pro-abortion, anti-Christian messages spray-painted on building
July 4, 2022: St. Bernard Catholic Church, Madison, WI—Pro-abortion message spray-painted on building
July 5, 2022: St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Oakdale, CA—Windows broken and sprinkler system damaged repeatedly over 2-month period
July 9, 2022: Church of the Ascension, Overland Park, KS—Church building vandalized with pro-abortion messages, statue of Blessed Virgin Mary defaced
July 9, 2022: St. Jane Frances de Chantal Church, Bethesda, MD—Multiple fires set inside church building, statues pulled down, Stations of the Cross torn from walls, books torn
July 14, 2022: Lansing Catholic High School, Lansing, MI—Multiple windows broken with rocks
July 14, 2022: St. Thomas Aquinas Parish School, East Lansing, MI—Windows shattered, statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary toppled
July 23, 2022: Kingsburg Holy Family Catholic Church, Kingsburg, CA—Statue of Blessed Virgin Mary smashed, statues of St. Joseph and baby Jesus decapitated
August 2, 2022: St. Joseph Catholic Church, Bakersfield, CA—Stained glass windows smashed
August 2, 2022: San Clemente Mission Parish, Bakersfield, CA—St. Clement statue decapitated, satanic alter found behind church
August 6, 2022: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church, Denver, CO—Drive-by shooting damages front door
August 8, 2022: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church, Denver, CO—Drive-by shooting damages windows
August 11, 2022: St. Anthony Catholic School, Washington, DC—Vandal toppled and decapitated statue of St. Anthony and pulled up benches from school playground
August 15, 2022: St. Anthony Catholic School, Washington, DC—Vandal broke into school, smashed statue of the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph and stole security cameras
