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Statue Of Jesus Stolen In 1930s Anonymously Returned To Hoboken Church

HOBOKEN (CBSNewYork) - A statue of Jesus that had been stolen in 1931 was anonymously returned to a Hoboken church.

The package was delivered to Our Lady of Grace Wednesday and had no return address.

Stolen Jesus
(credit: Alexander Santora)

Suspicious of the anonymous, hand-packed box, church officials called Hoboken police.

"The fact that it was not addressed to a person, that there was no return address, and it was not a packaged packed by a company it was done by a person. So those were some red flags for me," Rev. Alex Santora told CBS2's Tony Aiello.

An Emergency Services Unit checked the box to make sure it wasn't rigged to blow. When they opened the box, they found the statue, and a note:

To Whom It May Concern, 

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 1930's. It came into her father's possession somehow, and I don't know why he didn't return it. Instead, he gave it to my mother after she was remarried, and she too kept it until her passing when it came to me. Knowing the story, I felt it should be return to the rightful owner, and you will find it enclosed.

"I think it's a sign that God has graced them to do the right thing," Santora said.

The note wasn't signed, but a check of the package's tracking number revealed it was sent from Crystal Springs, Florida.

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