When staff members at Holy Innocents Catholic School in Long Beach, Calif., arrived at the school on Monday morning, they encountered a horror show of blasphemy and desecration. Vandals had ransacked the assembly hall, chapel, and classrooms. They smashed statues to pieces and ruined images of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Most horrific of all, they threw the tabernacle — which housed consecrated hosts, the true presence of Jesus Christ — to the floor.
Shockingly, vandals damaged the tabernacle in a way that made clear they attempted, but failed, to break into it. The hosts sustained damage but remained inside. One could easily dismiss the incident as sacrilegious miscreants trying to earn cool points with their godless buddies, but the vicious, blatant assault on the Eucharist reveals something far darker. While human hands carried out the vandalism, demonic agents clearly stood behind the act.
Modern-day Christians grow deeply uncomfortable when the topic of spiritual warfare arises. They love the idea of a loving God who embodies sunshine, rainbows, and kittens — a God who forgives sins and cherishes His children as members of His family. But when confronted with the reality that God does not alone inhabit the spiritual realm, they suddenly adopt a materialist mindset.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the Devil and fallen angels known as demons truly exist. Angels exist as well. The spiritual world teems with beings capable of influencing our lives, actions, history, and future. A cosmic war is unfolding, and like it or not, it will draft you into combat. At some point, you will have to choose a side.
Many Christians across the world deny that the Eucharist is the true presence of Jesus Christ, but demons know better. This assault on the tabernacle proves it. Why did the perpetrators pour so much vitriol and hatred into trying to gain access to the consecrated hosts? Because they know it is truly Jesus. And the forces influencing them sought to blaspheme Him.
This was no simple act of vandalism. It was sacrilege — a deliberate profaning of holy symbols meant to assault the Catholic faith itself. The destruction grew so severe that Holy Innocents had to cancel Mass, remaining open only for classes. Vandals obliterated a statue of the Blessed Mother that had stood at the school since 1958 and carried an estimated value of $40,000. They also destroyed another statue valued at $10,000.
The attack ruined several artifacts that the sisters at the school had handmade. Bishop Mark Trudeau personally inspected the damage and called it the worst case of vandalism he has seen in the region.
“They ripped the sound equipment and that sort of thing out of the wall,” Tony Tripp, director of advancement at the school, told local news outlet KTLA. “They pulled everything out of any closet that was there, so we thought, ‘Oh, OK. This is to be expected.’ But what we did not expect was the sanctuary part. We had a large statue of Mary that they pushed down and destroyed. They tried to break open the gold tabernacle where our Lord is kept to get the host out.”
This was not a robbery. Vandals destroyed valuable artifacts in a whirlwind of hatred for God and the Catholic faith. Spiritual warfare is real, ladies and gentlemen, whether you believe in it or not. A semi-truck will smash you to bits if you step in front of one, whether you believe it exists or not. Even more disturbing, attackers targeted a school — making this an assault against children as well.
Jeremy Wayne Tate, a leading promoter of classical education in the U.S., weighed in on the vandalism, saying, “This is horrific. Demonic forces are at work in our country.” This is why the Catholic Church desperately needs good, holy, and courageous men willing to enter the priesthood and eventually train as exorcists. The demand for these services grows by the day.
Robby Starbuck, a Protestant, along with Catholic convert and actor Rob Schneider, both offered to help cover the cost of replacing the Bibles destroyed in the attack. Supporters created a GoFundMe account to help the school recover from the vandalism, and it has already raised $90,000 in donations.
Just two weeks ago, an angry mob of anti-ICE protesters interrupted Sunday services at a Baptist church in St. Paul, Minn. If all of this — along with last year’s school shootings at Catholic institutions — fails to convince you that Satan is real and that his attacks are escalating, then you either lack faith or have buried your head in the sand, hoping it will all go away. It won’t.
Prayer — along with boldly living the faith we profess, without fear — remains the only way to fight this darkness and prevent its spread. Catholics need to pray the rosary daily, attend Mass every week, and proclaim the Gospel to everyone they know. Never give the Devil the satisfaction of intimidating you into silence.
