MT. LEBANON, Pa. -- A special blessing was held at Saint Bernard Parish Tuesday night for the vandals who desecrated a statue of the Virgin Mary last week.

The statue in the Mount Lebanon church had been knocked over and broken by vandals who also used orange paint to write "666" on the statue's forehead.

Parishioners gathered to say the Rosary at 7:30 p.m. and pray for the vandals, who remain at large.

Police continue to search for those who vandalized the grotto in St. Bernard Church.

The Rev. David Bonnar said it was "a really horrific act."

Bonnar said the statue's left arm was broken along with another part of its left side.

He said the vandals also tore apart rosary beads and threw them around the grotto. He said the area has traditionally been a place for quiet prayer.

Parishioner Joe Hufnagle discovered the mess as he arrived for morning Mass.

"Devastated," he said. "It's been here as long as I can remember."

Bonnar had the remnants of the statue moved from the grotto to a pickup truck. He said it took six people to carry it.

"It was such a horrific scene," said Bonnar. "I witnessed it on their faces on Saturday morning. I don't want to see it again."

Some parishioners, like Amy Klotz, are still just learning about the vandalism.

"That's terrible. It's a church," Klotz said. "We were walking to pick up our daughter's communion pictures."

Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

The church raised $3,000 at Tuesday's event which will be used to either repair or replace the statue.