SANTA CRUZ, Calif--
The Chapel of the Holy Cross Church remained closed Sunday morning while church officials begin to pick up the pieces of a priceless statue destroyed.
"It's a priceless piece of artwork that came to us from the mission that was destroyed in the 1857 earthquake," said Betty Pedrazzi, Curator of the Mission Gift Shop and Museum. "So it's part of our collection that we can't replace."
The Statue of Saint Joseph is now in several pieces on the chapel floor. It was made around 1791 and normally sits in an archway, several feet off the ground. Santa Cruz Police said Lee Wilson, 54, climbed on top of the altar, knocked it down and stole a piece of it. He was later caught by police near Pacific Avenue and Cooper Street.
"I think it's like a stab in the heart because it's a holy object," said Pedrazzi. "People really have a lot of reverence and respect for it."
So much, in fact, people travel from around the world to see it. The Colbert family drove all the way from San Diego to visit the mission. "Tragic for that to happen to a place of worship," said Amy Colbert. "Any kind of worship. Terrible. It's really sad."
Parishioners told Central Coast News they're stunned Saint Joseph was vandalized but said they're not angry with Lee Wilson, instead, they're praying for him.
"I don't think it was a hostile thing to the church or to the community," said Francis Krebs, Parishioner. "It was an issue of his mental illness and I don't think he was probably very well in control of what he was doing."
Santa Cruz Police said Wilson admitted to trying to steal the statue. He's been charged with felony vandalism, grand theft and a probation violation and remains in the Santa Cruz County Jail.
Church officials said they're trying to fix the statue and expect it to cost thousands of dollars. They said beefing up security at the chapel is under consideration. They expect to re-open the chapel soon.
