The Georgetown University Police Department (GUPD) is investigating two Aug. 29 incidents of vandalism as potential anti-Catholic hate crimes.
During one incident, the large processional crucifix in Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart — used during Masses to symbolize the presence of Jesus — sustained damage after it was moved and placed against a door. The other incident involved a statue of the Virgin Mary in the gardens of the Heyden Observatory, which university staff found on the ground on the morning of Aug. 30.
Surveillance footage shows an individual entering the chapel at 11:40 p.m. Aug. 29; as of Sept. 3, GUPD had not yet identified this individual nor determined their connection to the vandalism, according to a university spokesperson. GUPD is unaware if the two incidents are connected.
Fr. Mark Bosco, S.J., Georgetown’s vice president for mission & ministry, and Jay Gruber, the university’s associate vice president of public safety, wrote the vandalism was concerning in all circumstances and especially for religious spaces.
“Anti-Catholic acts and desecration of religious symbols are deeply concerning, hurtful and offensive,” Bosco and Gruber wrote in an Aug. 30 letter to the Georgetown community. “Acts of vandalism, especially of sacred spaces, have no place in our campus community.”
Bosco said that as the investigation continues, there is some evidence that the suspect may not be associated with Georgetown.
“If that is true, it brings me some consolation that it is not the work of a fellow Hoya,” Bosco wrote to The Hoya.
CC Mesa (SFS ’26), a member of Catholic Women at Georgetown, a campus ministry faith organization, said the vandalism was upsetting but that she was grateful for the support of fellow Catholic and non-Catholic students.
“I am obviously pretty upset by the whole situation, but it’s been comforting to have such a close community of friends in Catholic Ministry to talk to about it,” Mesa wrote to The Hoya. “I’ve also been pleasantly surprised by the amount of non-Catholic friends who have reached out to me to express their care, thoughts, and prayers in their own faith traditions.”
During the incident in Dahlgren Chapel, the crucifix sustained damage to its pole and to its corpus, its sculpted form of Jesus, according to an Aug. 30 email Catholic Ministry sent to Catholic students which The Hoya obtained. According to the email, the university is working with the artist who first sculpted the crucifix to plan its restoration.
Teddy Tibbs (CAS ’27), the treasurer of Georgetown’s chapter of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal service organization, said the vandalism of the crucifix was distressing as it has personal, spiritual meaning for him.
“I was shocked to find that someone had vandalized the Crucifix commonly used during Mass,” Tibbs wrote to The Hoya. “I myself center much of my prayer around the Crucifixion and have spent many hours contemplating the now-vandalized Crucifix.”
As the investigation continues, GUPD is increasing patrols of all eight religious spaces on campus and Campus Ministry is implementing new safety measures for the spaces, according to Tibbs. According to Tibbs, Catholic students met with the Catholic Campus Ministry after the incidents to discuss safety measures for holy spaces and places of worship on campus.
Leah Raymond (CAS ’26), another member of Catholic Women at Georgetown, said that the need for safety measures including locking the doors of Dahlgren Chapel upsets her because it limits students’ opportunities to engage in religious practice.
“That is the beauty of a faithful campus — we can spend time in religious spaces any time of the day for any reason without needing permission — the doors are always open,” Raymond wrote to The Hoya. “It saddens me to know that we feel it now necessary to lock the doors of the chapels at night.”
Similar acts of vandalism in 2013, when Dahlgren Chapel’s crucifix, organ mirror and panel sustained damages from vandalism, were seemingly not targeted at religious symbols.
Tibbs said he believes the August vandalism has divided the Georgetown community but strengthened ties within its Catholic community.
“It’s going to take some time for our Catholic community to heal; this event has further created a culture of distrust between Catholics and non-Catholics on campus,” Tibbs wrote. “I also believe this event has brought many together and highlighted Georgetown’s identity as a Catholic university.”
Still, Tibbs said that he thinks the community will come together.
“I have faith in the Georgetown community and know that we will be able to move on from this horrific event,” Tibbs wrote.
While Mesa said she was concerned by the vandal’s motivations, she added that she takes comfort in the vibrancy of religious communities on campus.
“My confusion right now lies in the motive of whoever did this and what kind of message they were trying to convey,” Mesa said. “For the most part, though, my worries and fears are calmed by the fact that the Catholic and inter-religious communities on campus are so strong; much, much stronger than any petty act of vandalism.”