Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Hopkinsville hosts a dedication and May crowning of their new statue of Mary and the Child Jesus on May 1, 2026. COURTESY OF STS. PETER AND PAUL PARISH
Sts. Peter and Paul crowns new Mary statue
BY DAWN C. LIGIBEL, SPECIAL TO THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
Parishioners and students from Sts. Peter and Paul parish and school in Hopkinsville gathered with pastor Fr. Emmanuel Udoh, parochial vicar Fr. Conrad Jaconette, and Fr. Pat Reynolds, vicar general of the Diocese of Owensboro, on the morning of May 1 to unveil, bless and crown the parish’s new statue of the Blessed Mother holding the Christ child, known as Our Lady of the Streets.
The statue was crowned by Iyla Jones, an eighth-grade student at the school, who was chosen because of the paragraph she submitted explaining why she wanted to crown the new Mary statue. As a newly-confirmed Catholic, Jones eloquently expressed her devotion to Mary by writing, “She teaches fortitude and kindness, even through situations that are difficult and trying.”
Fr. Conrad Jaconette, parochial vicar of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Hopkinsville, incenses the parish’s new statue of Our Lady and the Christ child during a dedication and May crowning celebration on May 1, 2026. COURTESY OF STS. PETER AND PAUL PARISH
The new statue was hand carved of white marble in Pietrasanta, Italy, and stands six feet tall. It is nearly an exact replica of the statue which stood in the same spot until the original statue was vandalized on the night of Jan. 28, 2025. The original statue was hand sculpted in Rome, also of white marble, and had been installed in the garden just west of the church building in 1992. It was dedicated on August 10, 1992, by Bishop John J. McRaith.
Following the vandalism, Fr. Udoh had quickly urged members of the parish in a Jan. 30 letter to pray for the individual who carried out the act of vandalism.
“Saints Peter and Paul Church and indeed the Universal Catholic Church has always been about preaching the message of Jesus, which is to proclaim God’s love, compassion and presence to all,” wrote Fr. Udoh. “We live in very challenging times and acts like these will not deter us from living out our faith as Jesus calls us to.”
Dawn C. Ligibel is a parishioner of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Hopkinsville.
Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Hopkinsville hosts a dedication and May crowning of their new statue of Mary and the Child Jesus on May 1, 2026. COURTESY OF STS. PETER AND PAUL PARISH
