Virgin Mary Statue Removed From Marshfield Park After Complaint
MARSHFIELD (CBS) - Veterans Memorial Park in Marshfield is a small, but revered park near the town center. For years, it's been the site of several annual events, and has been carefully maintained by Barney Dowd, himself a veteran.
About eight or nine years ago, Barney discovered several decorative bricks placed in the back corner, in memory of someone's parents.
"The kids wrote in chalk 'In memory of mom and dad. Love,'" said Dowd.
Barney was moved, and added a small statue of the Virgin Mary to the memorial.
"Those people came back all the time and they put rosary beads on it and they put things on it, they put nick-nacks and everything like that," explained Dowd.
For eight or nine years that small Virgin Mary statue was in that corner. Then recently, someone saw it and complained that the town had a religious symbol on municipal property so the town had Barney remove the statue.
"The establishment clause of the United States Constitution prohibits any religious artifacts, statues, etc," said Town Manager Michael Maresco.
He doesn't know who it was that put the bricks there, but Barney now worries that the people who originally created the small memorial to their parents will be upset.
