Peabody community rallies together after statue stolen from church

Parishioners and the greater Peabody population have rallied together after a Virgin Mary statue was stolen from St Anne s raising in the two weeks since the theft Although the monetary donations may fund a replacement at least one parishioner would rather see the statue returned no questions solicited It d be nice if that money could be returned or put to a better use mentioned Bill Fader a St Anne s parishioner We don t care who took it We re not interested in any punishment Fader disclosed the Virgin Mary statue had been stolen from the church parking lot at the corner of Aberdeen Avenue and Lynn Street about two weeks ago A volunteer had arrived to water flowers in the surrounding garden and noticed it was missing at which point the police were contacted Peabody police did not this instant respond to a Herald request for comment The church s group sought to put a sign in the garden asking for the statue s return and was warmed when a printing company waived its fees for the effort The Virgin Mary statue had been displayed on the busy Lynn Street for about three years as part of an effort to spruce up the parking lot according to Fader He recalled how locality members would sometimes stop by the church after hours reflecting in the garden and in front of the statue when they could not go in the church Various people this is the access they have They have a parking lot where they can quietly mediate pray make requests or just contemplate It means a lot to the region Fader explained Fader emphasized that contemporary national events have emphasized the value of forgiveness namely Erica Kirk s constituents remarks forgiving her husband Charlie s killer If she could forgive her husband s murderer we can forgive whoever stole the statue Fader disclosed We re not looking to condemn anybody we would just like it back A statue of the Virgin Mary that previously stood outside a Peabody church Courtesy of Bill Fader