Jesus To Be Caged To Protect From Vandals

[matcom]

my headline :rofl:

<snip>

The long-suffering Jesus of W. 33rd St. is getting a hand from the faithful - and some protection, too.

Vandals have twice stolen the right hand from the 11-foot-tall statue of the Savior that stands in front of the convent at St. Michael's parish.

So this time, before the parish replaces the missing hand and refurbishes the statue, it is having a special Plexiglas enclosure built to protect the icon from the elements - and the crazies.

"Why would anybody vandalize a statue of Jesus? I guess the fear of God has lessened considerably," the Rev. Myles Murphy, St. Michael's pastor, said sadly.

The statue was already handless two years ago, when Murphy was appointed to the parish, which is two blocks west of Penn Station, a short walk to the Javits Center, and a favorite stop for Catholic New Yorkers and tourists.

"Lots of people passing by would pause at the statue to make the sign of the cross and pray," Murphy said. "The fact that it was missing a hand just bothered me more and more."

With the 150th anniversary of the parish coming up next year, Murphy decided, "it was time to do something about the statue," he said. "We launched a fund-raiser, and we quickly got the money we needed to refurbish the statue. Most of it came from people who work in the area."

The parish raised around $5,000, Murphy said. And among the contributors was an editor from the Daily News, which is right down the block from the convent.

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/417942p-352952c.html

[rug]

1. They better double security on Easter morning.

[Hugin]

2. They keep stealing the right hand of the Lord?

Luckily, I'm the left hand of the Lord!

[Lautremont]

3. Couldn't Jesus just zap them with his rays?

[matcom]

4. .

:spray: