Vandalism at St. Patrick Church

Published September 9, 2021

Two statues at St. Patrick Church in North Little Rock were vandalized, resulting in about $15,000 to $20,000 in damages. 

Around 7 p.m. Aug. 11, Sisters M. Anna Tram Nguyen, FMSR, Mary Rose Tin Vu, FMSR, and Imelda Khuyen Nguyen, FMSR, were eating dinner and “heard a loud bang outside,” Sister Anna said. They suspected it was a surge in a nearby electrical box. When they went outside to clean up the grounds of the parish and convent about 30 minutes later, they found the base of the Our Lady of Fatima statue shattered, the head broken off of the St. Patrick statue and the Our Lady of Grace statue knocked onto the ground but not damaged. The front and side entrances of the church were blocked with construction cones. Trash and donuts were strewn about near the St. Patrick statue. Camera footage from the funeral home across the street showed one male suspect causing the damage. Police have a suspect in custody that broke into a nearby store the next day, Sister Anna said. 

Sister Anna said the St. Patrick statue, primarily granite marble, had been at the parish since 1980. The Our Lady of Fatima statue has been at the Holy Rosary Sisters convent for three years. Both statues will be replaced.

“Our parishioners here are really devout, and they are praying for that person,” who vandalized the property, Sister Anna said. “Personally, I was appalled... You have to stop and think that this happened to us. But yes, all prayers and forgiveness are toward that person.”