news-record.com

GREENSBORO - Her arms outstretched, Mary stood welcoming all who passed her on West Market Street.

But sometime early Wednesday morning, the five-foot statue of the mother of Jesus was ripped from her concrete pedestal in front of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church.

Her whereabouts - and who took her - are unknown, said Tom Johnson, the parish business manager at the church.

The bronze-colored statue of Mary - with arms extended at her sides and palms open - is known as "Our Lady of Grace."

It was originally placed in front of the church in 1998, along with a garden for reflection, on top of a pedestal that includes quotations encouraging respect for life from Pope John Paul II.

But two years after it was erected, a tree limb came crashing down in a storm and demolished the statue. It was replaced that year at a cost of $3,000, Johnson said..

When it was replaced, the fiberglass statue was secured to prevent against future storm damage, he said. But the church never anticipated the heavy statue - where parishioners place flowers and sit and pray - would be stolen.

"We thought we had done a fairly good job of making it sturdy," Johnson said. "We never dreamed someone would steal it."

He believes the people responsible may have taken the statue down by pulling on the shoulders or head.

This is isn't the first time a statue has been stolen from the church, Johnson said. Last year, a two-foot metal statue of St. Francis of Assisi was stolen

Johnson has no idea how or why the statue was taken or who the culprits are. But he is fairly certain about one thing: "I don't believe anybody stole it because they love Mary."

He's not hopeful that the statue will be returned. The church will replace the statue, which will likely cost several thousand dollars.

"For me it's just impossible to understand why anybody would steal from a church, but it happens," Johnson said.

Contact Amy Dominello at 373-7091 or adominello@news-record.com