An important Jesus statue in an El Paso church has been destroyed and police have arrested the suspect. The statue in St. Patrick’s Cathedral was taken down and decapitated and the person police suspect to be responsible has been arrested.

Earlier this week, a 90-year-old Jesus statue was decapitated by a vandal who destroyed the St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

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We are saddened to announce the vandalism at St. Patrick Cathedral earlier today. The Cathedral was vandalized this morning at around 10:00am. A suspect came into the sanctuary at St. Patrick Cathedral and destroyed the almost 90-year-old statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was located in the center behind the main altar of the church. The church was open and available for prayer. A suspect has been detained by the El Paso Police department. The police are currently continuing their investigation into the vandalism. The Rector of St. Patrick Cathedral, Fr. Trini Fuentes, said, “I am in shock and we at the Cathedral are heartbroken over such an unexpected situation.” Bishop Seitz also expressed his sadness about the damage caused to the historic Sacred Heart of Jesus Statue. “This statue is one of my favorite representations of Jesus—his arms open wide in welcome, his heart aflame with love for us. I would often take inspiration from this image as I prepared for Mass.” “As sad as I am to see a statue attacked and destroyed, I am grateful that it was not a living person,” Bishop Seitz added. “But a statue, particularly this statue, concretizes and connects us to persons and ideals that are not visible to our eyes. They reveal to us realities that are close to us, but unseen,” he said. “At this point we do not know anything about the person who carried out this assault, but he certainly must be a person who is greatly disturbed to have attacked this peaceful place in our city and this image of the King of Peace. I hope this might be the impetus for him to receive the help he needs. He will be in my prayers,” Bishop Seitz added. “I am devastated at this irreplaceable loss as I know members of this parish community and the whole Church of El Paso will be. In this moment we will reach out in confidence to the One this statue represented and I know he will console us,” Bishop Seitz concluded. St. Patrick, Patron of Ireland and our Diocese, Pray for us.

A post shared by Catholic Diocese of El Paso (@elpasodiocese) on Sep 15, 2020 at 5:12pm PDT

The community was rocked when the damage was reported. The statue has been behind the church’s main altar for decades. The vandal attacked the statue at around 10:00 a.m. when the church was opened for prayer when the vandal attacked.

El Paso police have arrested a man in connection to the vandalism.

Isaiah Cantrell, the suspect accused of vandalizing a @elpasodiocese church in #ElPaso, was arrested again for for the theft of a @POTUS campaign sign and a #ThinBlueLine flag. https://t.co/n5HytJANWs

— KFOX14 News (@KFOX14) September 18, 2020

According to a press release from the police department, 30-year-old Isaiah Cantrell has been arrested for the vandalism. The damage to the statue is estimated to be about $25,000 and Cantrell’s bail has been set at $20,500. El Pasoans are angered at the man for destroying the irreplaceable statue.

“This statue is one of my favorite representations of Jesus—his arms open wide in welcome, his heart aflame with love for us,” Bishop Seitz said about the destruction of the historic Sacred Heart of Jesus statue. “I would often take inspiration from this image as I prepared for Mass.”

Wow, the Diocese of El Paso sharing this incredible photo of St. Patrick's Cathedral they say dates back about 1925-1930. It shows the statue that was destroyed yesterday. The Diocese has now started a donation fund: https://t.co/fu9Zuxun5X pic.twitter.com/0QSJYvjQ5u

— Natassia Paloma (@NatassiaPaloma) September 17, 2020

Statues like the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue are important to communities that are used to seeing them. The destruction has left clergymen and parishioners angered and saddened by the loss of the statue. It is a historic part of the El Paso religious community having overseen masses since before World War II.

The Diocese of El Paso is raising money to help St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

The Diocese of El Paso along with the Foundation for the Diocese of El Paso is setting up a fund for the St. Patrick Cathedral. Click here for more info: https://t.co/pPXaf2SDPx @BishopSeitz @foundationelp pic.twitter.com/AoS6eoeGoq

— The Catholic Diocese of El Paso (@elpasodiocese) September 16, 2020

The funds raised by the Diocese of El Paso and the Foundation for the Diocese of El Paso will be used on the St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The money raised will be used to fix the shattered statue as well as add security and do renovations to the famed church.

“I am devastated at this irreplaceable loss as I know members of this parish community and the whole Church of El Paso will be,” Bishop Seitz said. “In this moment we will reach out in confidence to the One this statue represented and I know he will console us.”

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Updated May 5, 2020

Society makes a lot of assumptions about Latinas. Many assume that we’re loud, we’re “fiery,” temperamental and Catholic. Too often our strength, brilliance, compassion, and range go underestimated and under-appreciated. We are women of so many colors, shades, belief systems, backgrounds, and talents, not even ROYGBIV could hold a candle to the beauty that comes with our diversity. This month, we’re tipping our hats off to Latinas observing Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.

As Muslims worldwide take part in a month of fasting, prayer, reflection and community we’re looking at top Latina Muslim Instagram accounts that actively debunk any stereotypes you or others might have around Latinas and Muslims by embracing their cultura and faith.

glowrious._

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!!!! GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED !!!! . Thank you for 40k As we spend more time online and like me doing a lot of online shopping, I want to gift one lucky follower a $100 USD cash deposit via PAYPAL, VENMO, OR ZELLE ! All you have to do is 1) follow me @glowrious.s on Instagram, and YouTube link on my bio 2) Tag 3 friends BOUNS : share on your stories and tag me That’s it ! . . This is open to anyone that has the cash deposit options I mentioned including worldwide followers, thank you so much, and good luck ✌️

A post shared by @ glowrious.s on Apr 24, 2020 at 8:58am PDT

This linda of Mexican descent has an Instagram page laced with all the makeup and style inspirations you probably didn’t even realize you were missing. The model’s account has a nearly 9K following, plenty of style inspirations for the chica rocking a hijab and with captions that read “I don’t need a castle to know I’m a queen and hijab is my crown,” all of the enlightened Latina slay musings you’ll ever need on Instagram.

aamilahvilchez

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The garden is my happy place. 🌺

A post shared by Aamilah Vilchez (@aamilahvilchez) on May 4, 2020 at 7:24pm PDT

Have a hankering for natural healing remedies and in need of a fix? Vilchez is the brilliant Latina behind an Instagram account bursting with food pics so appetizing in appearance you can practically smell her cilantro and Goya concoctions as they sizzle in pans through your iPhone. The Muslim Latina’s account focuses on all things wellness and health, with various posts highlighting the benefits of plants like Tumeric (according to her, it’s a natural anti-depressant) and oils that come from Tea Tree (perfect for zits!).

Follow her here.

Nebulanabila

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Beautiful profound, healing words from my fly poetic soul sistah @sukina_pilgrim! #WCW #FollowHer 🕊 • . There are some Who are waiting For the perfect moment To see you fall. They want to be there So they can witness everything. They are waiting for you to slip Waiting for a crack Any opportunity To prove you unworthy. There are some Who are waiting For a reason to hate you. Right now they tolerate you But give them a chance And they will overlook All the goodness All the laughter The sweet memories And sacred moments To make you The enemy. There are some Who will never cover your flaws Or make excuses for you Won’t give you the benefit Of the doubt Won’t hear you out Or stand up for you If your name is being spread In hushed tones In a darkened room Upon bitter lips. The worst ones Are those who smile with you Greet you with open arms Their words are warm But their eyes are cold The envy and jealousy Cancelling out the beauty Inviting the ugly To sit on their face And rest awhile. They wear masks Thinking you can’t see through Thinking you can’t feel truth And all their dark intentions. . There are some Who will never be pleased for you Will never celebrate with you Will never cheer for you Never stand at the finish line To witness your victory. The higher you fly The more they despise And they don’t even Know the reason why. They’d prefer it If you were never in the light Never recognised Never victorious. Do they think my shine Will dim their own? That me spreading my wings Will take up too much space In the sky? The thing is though – I am only just starting To embody my brilliance To honour my talents To accept my beauty To believe that I’m worthy – And walk towards the stars With no fear of the darkness. If they hate me now They’ll hate me more tomorrow Because I’m not going Anywhere. The mission Is upwards From here Friend. The sad Thing is Who they Really hate Is themselves. 📷 @mohammedyahya

A post shared by Nebulosity 🌠 (@nebulanabila) on Mar 11, 2020 at 3:31pm PDT

Afro-Latina power abounds in this Instagram account helmed by a Latina ready to put anyone wanting to strip Black Latinas of their identity by defining them as “half” in their place. Her posts are a reminder to her 2K plus followers that bigotry isn’t beautiful, and everyone needs a little faith, whether it’s in themselves or something greater. Check out her account for some killer tips on how to pair sunnies with your hijabs, quotes from Malcom X and celebration of la cultura.

Follow her here.

latina_mtl

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J’ai décidé volontairement de m’isoler pour les prochains jours, j’ai donc décidé de partager mes photos de voyage pour ajouter un peu de soleil dans nos fils d’actualité ☀️🙈! J’ai également choisi d’adopter une attitude positive parce que c’est tellement facile tomber dans la peur et l’angoisse! Essayons tous ensemble d’être le plus positifs possible ✊🏼 Sensibilisons oui, mais ajoutons de la joie entre nous et évitons les ondes négatives ❤️ #stayathome • • #love #positivemind #positivelife #positiveenergy #lifestyle #positivevibration #positivemindset #repost #instagood #motivation #positiveattitude #motivationalquotes #positivevibesonly #positivethoughts #life #positive #inspiration #powerofpositivity #positiveliving #positivepeople #positivity #positividade #happinessquotes #fitness #happy #vibepositiva #hijabstyle

A post shared by Motivation | Quotes | Business (@latina_mtl) on Mar 19, 2020 at 1:08pm PDT

Paty Maryam describes herself as a “MUSULMANA” by way of Peru and Chile on her Instagram account infused with beauty, health, and wellness tips. On her Instagram shop, @almastoura_shop, she boasts being “the first Hijab Multi-Brand Store in Montreal.” While Maryam’s shop has quite the collection of stunning hijab’s it’s really her personal Instagram account where it’s at. Watch her travel, string together beautiful and inspiring words in her captions and get a daily dose of encouragement all on her feed.

Follow her here.

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