'We want our Mary back,' says parish staffer after theft of statue from church's prayer garden

By Joseph P. Owens, OSV News

WILMINGTON, Del. (OSV News) -- It's possible it was a "Senior Week" prank, but Catholics in Ocean City, Maryland, are not laughing at the theft of a 3-foot tall Blessed Virgin Mary statue from the prayer garden outside Holy Savior Church.

"We want our Mary back," said Donna Santoni, administrative assistant at the parish.

So do the police in Ocean City.

A Facebook post from the city's Police Department said Mary was reported missing June 13 and was likely stolen sometime the previous evening from church property. The statue is described as 3-feet tall and heavy, usually requiring more than one person to lift it.

In the post police asked that anyone who "knows about this theft or saw any suspicious activity" where the church is located to report it to them. The church is part of St. Mary, Star of the Sea Parish.

Santoni said security cameras at the parish did not pick up the looters but police were checking surrounding businesses to see if available footage captured any leads.

Mary's statue has been part of the Rosary Prayer Garden more than 10 years, Santoni said.

"It's a beautiful rosary prayer garden that people use all the time," she said in a June 14 telephone interview with The Dialog, Wilmington's diocesan newspaper. "There is a man out there praying right now. He rode his bike there. It's a beautiful, beautiful garden in a crazy, chaotic town."

Mid-June is a popular time for graduating high school seniors to populate the bustling beach town. Ocean City is on Maryland's Eastern Shore and is part of the Wilmington Diocese, along with the entire state of Delaware.

Santoni said she was told a large "Peppa Pig" was stolen from a business, though it has since been recovered, and a dinosaur was damaged at a mini-golf location.

The garden has been part of the church landscape for more than 20 years, Santoni said.

"Everyone is sad," she said. "Everyone is praying."