A statue of the Virgin Mary Damage is seen at the Shrine of St. Anthony of Padua in Green Bay April 26, 2024. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — University of Wisconsin-Green Bay campus police are investigating after a century-old shrine was damaged.
The Shrine of St. Anthony of Padua is on the eastern edge of the campus, and is considered part of the Cofrin Arboretum.
The damage apparently was discovered Friday. It includes a broken door and windows, damage to an informational kiosk and the decapitation of a statue of the Virgin Mary.
UWGB Campus Police Lt. A.J. Walker said they believe juveniles are responsible for the damage. The investigation continues.
According to the school’s website, Odlie Le Mieux built the chapel in 1925. The college acquired the land that includes the chapel in May 1984.
“It was constructed by Odile’s husband Joseph LeMieux, a stonemason who built lighthouses on the Great Lakes. He and his brother-in-law, Fabian LaPlant built the 12-by-18-foot building in the summer of 1925. The used limestone cut from the escarpment directly behind the building. The exterior has rounded arches over its eight windows and a single door. Details include a decorative design worked into the front of the arching roof. Most of the inside of the chapel was designed and built by LaPlant who was a skilled carpenter, including the altar, kneelers, table, altar and pedestals. The interior features white plaster walls, wood floor, wood support beams for the roof, wood-framed windows and statues with the likeness of the chapel’s original namesake, St. Anthony,” the website states.
Le Mieux’s descendants maintain the chapel in cooperation with UWGB’s maintenance staff.
This isn’t the first time there have been problems at the chapel.
A statue of St. Anthony was stolen from it in 2009, but it was later found, repaired, and reinstalled.
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