The statue last made headlines in July last year when the head of the baby Jesus was reported missing, which Sainte-Anne Des Pins parish council president Michel Chrétien said at the time was accompanied by various other acts vandalism to their property. “The problem is not going away and it seems to be growing year by year,” Chrétien said last year – a point he reiterated to Sudbury.com earlier today in response to continued concerns. In late May, Mary joined her son in facing the beheading along with additional damage. “I don’t know if the statue can be saved right now,” Chrétien said. “There were so many problems with this statue.” The two heads are in the possession of the church along with the rest of the broken pieces, minus some fragments. “It’s an ongoing story, an ongoing issue of vandalism with the church, and not just the church but the whole downtown,” Chrétien said, clarifying that he does not believe the church has been targeted, but that it has been linked to the broader issues that facing the core of the city center. Chrétien does not want the community to make a distinction between the city’s homeless community and damage to the church, citing it as unfair due to the fact that it is unknown who is responsible. People steal or destroy “whatever they can get their hands on … it’s small enough to move or break,” he said. Their air conditioning units have also been damaged along with other elements of the building’s exterior. “We’re always exploring different ideas to secure the grounds, to secure the buildings, so we’re exploring the idea of ​​putting up a fence or repairing the fence we already have around the grounds, but that’s quite expensive,” Chrétien said. Additional fencing, he added, would be a last resort. “It’s kind of sad that we have to go to this, but we might not have a choice.” The statue of Mary and the baby Jesus received international attention in 2016 after the head of the baby Jesus was cut off by a vandal the previous year and replaced with a temporary head by a local artist. The attention came as a result of the appearance of the head, which was criticized for its color difference from the rest of the statue and its features. By October 2016, the lost head was returned. It was reattached to the statue the following year. The age of the statue is unknown, Chrétien said, as it was brought from another church when the current building opened in 1996. Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.