National Shrine of Mary Near Milwaukee Hit With '666' Vandalism

Vandals struck one of Wisconsin's most-recognized landmarks, spray-painting the religious site with graffiti and obscenities in an incident apparently linked to Tuesday's date of 6-6-06.

Washington County sheriff's deputies remained at Holy Hill, the National Shrine of Mary, on Wednesday afternoon investigating the damage, which included painted references to "Satan," "Hell on Earth" and "6-6-06" along with satanic symbols and vulgar references, Sheriff Brian Rahn told The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

The vandalism occurred late Tuesday or early Wednesday.

The Rev. Cyril Guise, director of the shrine about 25 miles northwest of Milwaukee, told WTMJ radio that the front door of the Holy Hill monastery was damaged, along with several outdoor Stations of the Cross. Several statues of Jesus had red paint scrawled on their faces.

On one of the stations where Jesus is stripped of his garments before he is crucified, the vandals spray-painted a pentagram, sheriff's Lt. Steve Gonwa told The Associated Press. On another monastery entrance, vandals spray-painted an obscenity and "Happy Birthday Satan," Gonwa said.

A sign over the entrance to the stations reads "This is a religious shrine. Please be respectful." The vandals spray-painted "Hell" over it.

"Nice guys," Gonwa said. "Unfortunately there are some pathetic people out there."

Investigators have spoken with some people they believe are linked to other vandalism in the area, but so far haven't turned up any suspects, Gonwa said.

A contractor had been called to remove the paint but no estimate of the cost of repairing the damage was available Wednesday afternoon, Guise said.

Holy Hill is a registered U.S. and Wisconsin landmark. Its church, shrine and monastery sit at 1,350 feet above sea level -- one of the highest points in the state. Its Web site says Holy Hill "has been a beacon of beauty, faith and peace ... for over 130 years."

The Discalced Carmelite Friars, a Roman Catholic religious community, owns the historic site atop a cone-shaped glacial hill, known as a kame. The current main church, a Romanesque revival structure, was built in 1930.

The vandalism appeared to have occurred in the final hours of June 6, 2006, or 06-06-06. Many Christians believe the numerals "666" to be the "Mark of the Beast" or the "Number of the Beast" referred to in the New Testament's Book of Revelation. The numerals are said by some to signal a person or entity associated with, or controlled by, the Antichrist. Janesville Gazette