MIAMI SHORES, FLA. – An investigation is underway after two statues of Jesus Christ were vandalized a month apart at a Miami Shores church.

The first statue was vandalized on Aug. 29 at St. Martha’s Church. The second, located across the street at the parish office, was vandalized exactly a month later.

“Why the attacks on these statues exactly a month apart?” asked ​Mary Ross Agosta, the Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of Miami.

One statue was beheaded, while the other had its hand knocked off.

“The head is missing, one arm is missing, and his left hand was destroyed,” Agosta said. “The statues are blessed, so they’re sacred, so this is defamation of a sacred space.”

Agosta said the vandalism hits close to home for her.

“As a Catholic, it’s certainly disheartening to see Christ statues attacked,” she said. “As a human being, as a person who has a religious faith, whether it’s Catholic, whether it’s Protestant, whether or not it’s Jewish or Islam — Muslim, it’s disheartening to have any faction of symbolism of religion attacked.”

“This is something that I’ve asked the police department to look at as a hate crime,” Agosta added.

It is unclear if both incidents are connected. However, the repairs on the statues will cost thousands of dollars.

Miami Shores Police have surveillance video of at least one of the incidents. We have reached out to them and are awaiting additional information.

“I would think our human nature would say this is somebody who is hurting,” said Agosta. “The forgiveness, that’s what we’re about but at the same time, we can’t forget it because it is a crime.”

Anyone with information on the crime is asked to call Miami Shores Police.