The statue was proudly put on display as a part of the church’s nativity scene.
New Jersey churchgoers got a nice Christmas surprise when a baby Jesus statue that was stolen nearly 90 years ago was put on display after being returned to its rightful owner earlier this year.
Father Alexander Santora said a package came to Our Lady of Grace in Hoboken, New Jersey, back in March. Nervous about what it might have been, staff called police and the bomb squad showed up to open it.
“It had no return address, just a tracking number, which told us it was from Florida. And when we opened it, it was this little baby Jesus," Santora told WCBS.
An anonymous letter was also enclosed, which read in part, “My Mom told me that the Baby Jesus had been stolen from the church Nativity display at Our Lady of Grace when she was a young girl of about twelve years of age in the early 1930s. It came into her father’s possession somehow, and I don’t know why he didn’t return it.”
The writer went on to say they didn’t think it was right to keep the statue.
"It must've bothered somebody enough that they wanted it to come home. Even after what could've been 90 years, they did the right thing,” Santora said. “There's always a chance to change and I think that's what Christmas does for us. It gives us a sense of hope.”
The statue was proudly put on display as a part of the church’s nativity scene.
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