Long Beach school unveils restored Mary statue eight months after break-in

Last February, vandals broke into Holy Innocents School in Long Beach. Apart from destroying much of the school hall’s interior, they desecrated several holy objects, including a life-size Virgin Mary statue that had been at the school since its opening in 1958.

Eight months later, at Holy Innocents’ annual gala dinner on Oct. 25, that Mary statue — now fully recovered after an extensive restoration — was unveiled to hundreds of supporters in the audience as a symbol of resilience and faith.

The “Songs for Scholars” gala was also held inside the renovated school hall, complete with new paint, a new air conditioning unit, a new sound system and speakers. The cost for the renovation has been about $500,000, and wouldn’t have been possible without the donations that poured in after the incident, the school said.

“I think it's important that we, people of faith, share these stories as well, so that people understand that God is with those who love him and he’s going to take care of you even in the hard times,” said Tony Tripp, Holy Innocents’ director of advancement.

The statue was unveiled at the dinner by Guy Hazelzet, who first attended Holy Innocents School back in 1963, and donated the $20,000 for its restoration.

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Guy Hazelzet, who first attended Holy Innocents School back in 1963, unveils the restored Virgin Mary statue during Holy Innocent School's "Songs for Scholars" gala in Long Beach on Oct. 25. (John Geronilla)

Tony Tripp, Holy Innocent School's director of advancement, introduces the restored Virgin Mary statue during the "Songs for Scholars" gala in Long Beach on Oct. 25. (John Geronilla)

Guy Hazelzet, who first attended Holy Innocents School back in 1963, unveils the restored Virgin Mary statue during Holy Innocent School's "Songs for Scholars" gala in Long Beach on Oct. 25. (John Geronilla)

The choir sings during Holy Innocent School's "Songs for Scholars" gala in Long Beach on Oct. 25. (John Geronilla)

Holy Innocent School in Long Beach held its "Songs for Scholars" gala in Long Beach on Oct. 25. (John Geronilla)

The Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles sing during Holy Innocent School's "Songs for Scholars" gala in Long Beach on Oct. 25. (John Geronilla)

Father Peter Irving, the longtime pastor of Holy Innocent Church in Long Beach, performs during the "Songs for Scholars" gala in Long Beach on Oct. 25. (John Geronilla)

Father Matthew Wheeler, pastor at USC's Our Savior Parish, performs during Holy Innocent School's "Songs for Scholars" gala in Long Beach on Oct. 25. (John Geronilla)

About 300 people attended Holy Innocent School's "Songs for Scholars" gala in Long Beach on Oct. 25. (John Geronilla)

After thanking the donors who helped make the renovations possible — the Shea Foundation and the Duda Family Foundation among them — Hazelzet explained that his donation honored his parents, longtime parishioners and benefactors of Holy Innocents. He remembers when he used to go to school there, the Mary statue was the first thing you saw when you walked into the office.

“It was part of that school and part of growing up that statue was,” Hazelzet said. “I think that's why when I saw it happen, and lying on the floor like that, I was like, OK, this is part of my faith.

“So it all just kind of came together at the same time: the devotion to Mary, the dedication to the statue to my parents, and to the school.”

The gala’s theme this year was “With a Little Help From Our Friends,” and with the year Holy Innocents School had, it was appropriate.

When the vandalism was discovered in the early morning hours on Feb. 2, once they got over the initial shock, students, staff, and teachers went to work cleaning up. Once word got out, offers to help came from parents, neighbors, Catholic schools and beyond.

The next day, the school hosted a reparation Mass led by Auxiliary Bishop Marc Trudeau and a Eucharistic procession.

Eight days later, Holy Innocent’s senior Class of 2026 were in Rome when they got an unexpected audience with Pope Leo XIV, who gave them his blessing.

The Catholic group, Sanctus Fidelis, set up a GoFundMe that raised more than $150,000, while other donations and letters of support poured in from all across the country.

“When this happened, people that weren't even Catholic came out of the woodwork because it's part of Long Beach, it’s a big part of the community,” Hazelzet said. “And people said not my neighborhood, so to speak.”

“We had some people writing to us, like almost coming back to the faith, saying, ‘After I saw that and saw the broken statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, it really touched me because I was raised Catholic, and it made me realize that I need to get back to the Church,’” Tripp said. “It's like, wow.”

Because the renovations had to wait until the summer, the school had to make do with a school hall that was missing lighting, air conditioning, and locked doors (they used bicycle locks).

“It was just, ‘it is what it is,’ ” Tripp said. “Even when we did any type of events, we were literally sweating it out in that hall because there's nothing we could do; nothing worked. So we just had to pray and say, ‘God help us get through this little bit of a tougher time.’”

Although much of what was damaged has been restored, there are still a few things left to be redone. The damaged Stations of the Cross pieces are being restored and should be returned in February. The bronze tabernacle that broke when it was thrown to the floor will be replaced by a new vessel being crafted in Spain.

The Blessed Sacrament chapel has been completely gutted and remodeled, courtesy of Christina Caruso, who is dedicating the project to her uncle, Father Lawrence Caruso, OFM Cap.

Following the restored statue’s unveiling, the school is planning to re-consecrate her during a Mass on Oct. 30 along with a rosary and flower offering.

As heinous as the vandalism was, both Tripp and Hazelzet acknowledged that the incident was a wake-up call to strengthen the community and increase faith.

“I feel that this kind of woke everybody up,” Tripp said. “Like, hey, God is with us. He's truly with us, and he's going to help us, and he'll send people to help us, even when bad things happen.

“This lesson that we learned out of all this is that we just have to trust in God, and he’ll take care of us.”