Angel Ortiz Jr. touches the head of Joseph in a Holy Family statue to show that it was destroyed early Friday at Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Youngstown. Ortiz works for A.O Construction of Youngstown, which removed the statues and is working with the church to replace them.
Staff photo / Ed Runyan
YOUNGSTOWN The Rev. Monsignor Michael Cariglio of the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church had 14 destroyed statues removed from outside the church so that parishioners coming to Mass this weekend didn’t have to “see the desecration,” he said.
A.O. Construction, which repairs statues and handles masonry work at Mount Carmel and many other area churches, picked up the statues and took them to its Wilson Avenue shop.