Goans shocked as Mary’s statue desecrated at Wembley Church

The desecration of the statue of Mother Mary at the St Joseph's Church in Wembley.

LONDON

In an incident which has shocked the large Goan community in Wembley, the statue of Mother Mary was desecrated at the St Joseph's Church in Wembley in the wee hours of Wednesday.

The statue of Mother Mary, which is attached to the Marian Catechetical Centre, is located in the car park outside the church.

The Goan community has a great devotion to the statue of Mother Mary, with throngs of Goans stopping by to pray in front of the statue throughout the day and night.

According to residents in Wembley, there used to be a grotto at the site and that grotto was removed to make way for the Marian Catechetical Centre. A new statue of Mother Mary was subsequently installed at the site.

The Wembley police and the diocese have been notified of the incident. A police team had gone to the site to conduct investigations.

REACTIONS

Following the incident, G.O.A. UK President Ravi Vaz contacted Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council under Wembley.

“Butt has assured that everything will be done to maintain peace in the area. Police presence and Community Police will maintain presence specially around the church and surrounding areas. This will help avoid any further damages to the church,” said Vaz.

“Police investigation is ongoing and they will report to the leader of the council about their findings. Butt will keep me informed. If needed, I will escalate this to a higher level and the G.O.A. UK is prepared to extend its support to the Goan community in Wembley,” Vaz added.

Joyce De Souza, Constituency of the Labour Party (CLP) Women’s Officer in the Labour Party of Brent West Parliamentary Constituency, an area in North West London, said she was informed that the statue of Mother Mary outside St Joseph Church in Wembley has been vandalised sometime around 12.30 am.

“We are parishioners of this Church and this news was shocking. My husband Elvis Fernandes, who is the General Committee (GC) delegate of the Constituency of the Labour Party (CLP), and I informed the MP for Brent West Barry Gardiner who has condemned this anti-social behaviour and he has assured to visit the Church,” said De Souza.

“I also spoke to the local councillor about this who has informed me that he will follow up with the police. He also informed that the Community Safety and Prevention Team in the Brent Civic Centre has been informed about this by the leader of the Brent Council. The Councillor also assured to follow up with the police department.”

“While this anti-social activity was done to target and hurt the community’s religious feelings, Elvis and I appeal to the community to stay united at this difficult time. Let's continue to believe in peace and at the same time be vigilant. Let us support communal harmony which is of utmost importance during this crucial time.”