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Masonry Company To Restore Vandalized Jesus Statue In Honor Of Alumna

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The owner of a local masonry restoration company is fixing the Carlow University's Jesus statue, which was vandalized last month.

With outstretched arms, the statue of Jesus has served as symbol of welcome and a tribute to Catholicism for a century. But recently, it was struck by vandals.

No one knows who did it. Surveillance video doesn't show the site where it stands.

Whoever did it broke the hands off of the granite statue, which was part of the former St. Agnes Catholic Church. It's now owned by Carlow University.

"We can't understand why somebody would do something like this, but at the same time, we are a Catholic university and we try to practice forgiveness and understanding," said the university's Andrew Wilson.

There's been an amazing outpouring of goodwill since the statue was vandalized.

That includes an offer from the masonry restoration company, Mariani and Richards. They've agreed to replace the hands for free.

"We just can't thank them enough for reaching out like this," said Wilson.

Mariani and Richards will fix the statue in honor of the late Josephine Corrado Mariani. She graduated from Carlow when it was known as Mount Mercy College. She and her husband founded the company.

The work's expected to take three months and could cost as much as $20,000.

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