A statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was reported stolen March 9 from an outdoor grotto at Holy Cross parish in Rochester, New York.
Father William Coffas, pastor of Holy Cross Catholic Church, notified police after it was discovered missing this weekend and filed a report, according to WHAM News, a local ABC affiliate. He has since publicly pleaded for the individual to return the beloved statue.
"We would ask that the statue please be returned as soon as possible," Fr. Coffas said as reported by the outlet. "And we also pray, most importantly, for the person who was under the conviction that they decided to steal the statue.”
Fr. Coffas also directly addressed the individual who stole the statue in a Facebook post urging them to safely return it, stating that no legal action would be taken if it is brought back.
“I am asking that you please return the statue,” Fr. Coffas said in his post. “No questions asked, no charges will be advanced. But we do ask that you please kindly return the statue as soon as possible.”
He emphasized that he is praying for the individual, that they may come to know the Lord and recognize their home with Mary, their mother.
“[Mary] can keep you in her heart,” Fr. Coffas said in his Facebook post. “We ask that you please, give your heart to Christ. This is an opportunity for you to realize that Mary is Mother to all of us.”
According to WHAM, the grotto that enshrined Mother Mary was built by four local brothers in her honor after they returned home from World War II, and it has since been dedicated to all veterans.