Statue taken from Divine Mercy Parish days after break-in
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
Three days after a man stole a microphone and cell phone from Divine Mercy Parish’s Holy Cross Church, Trenton, a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in front of the convent on the parish’s St. Stanislaus Church campus also went missing.
A wave of support from members of the parish and community has raised more than $1,200 as a reward for the statue’s return – funds that would be used to purchase a replacement should the original not be recovered.
Pastoral associate Rosemarie Micharski said that members of the congregation have already reached out to sisters expressing that they missed the presence of the statue on the grounds, which had served as a focal point for the prayers of many in the neighborhood.
“It is something that is missing, and it was very near and dear to the heart of the sisters,” she said. “It really was there for the community to pray with.”
The parish has filed a report with the Trenton Police Department, and city detectives are investigating the pair of robberies. Micharski said that city firefighters driving to a nearby fire on the night of July 1 noticed a man struggling to carry the statue down the street, a tip that police are following up on during their investigation.
The statue of Jesus with his hands outstretched was donated to the parish about 15 years ago, Micharski said, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph, some of whom reside in the convent there. The statue was offered in the memory of a deceased former pastor of the parish, as well as the husband of the parishioner who donated it.
The value of the statue, Micharski believes, cannot be measured as accurately in fiscal terms as it can in a spiritual context.
“In monetary value, I cannot tell you (what it is worth),” she said. “In spiritual value, and what it did for the community, there is no price we can put on it.”
She said the statue provided prayerful solace to many congregants.
“We had people who would come and just pray before the statue,” she said. “You cannot put any kind of a price on that.”
She said that the sisters will be celebrating the 115th anniversary of their order in September, and that the parish is planning to have a replacement statue in place by then should the original not be returned.
Chief in establishing the reward fund was Trenton South Ward Councilman George Muschal, who has also blanketed the neighborhood with flyers calling for the statue’s return to the parish community, according to published reports. He donated some of his own money to the pot as well.
Police have also been investigating the break-in, which took place on June 28, the Thursday before the statue went missing.
Micharski said that a man had broken into Holy Cross Church and was rummaging through envelopes, presumably searching for money. He wound up getting away with a microphone, as well as a cell phone belonging to a parish maintenance employee.
“We confronted him before he could…take too much,” Micharski said.
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Three days after a man stole a microphone and cell phone from Divine Mercy Parish’s Holy Cross Church, Trenton, a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in front of the convent on the parish’s St. Stanislaus Church campus also went missing.
A wave of support from members of the parish and community has raised more than $1,200 as a reward for the statue’s return – funds that would be used to purchase a replacement should the original not be recovered.
Pastoral associate Rosemarie Micharski said that members of the congregation have already reached out to sisters expressing that they missed the presence of the statue on the grounds, which had served as a focal point for the prayers of many in the neighborhood.
“It is something that is missing, and it was very near and dear to the heart of the sisters,” she said. “It really was there for the community to pray with.”
The parish has filed a report with the Trenton Police Department, and city detectives are investigating the pair of robberies. Micharski said that city firefighters driving to a nearby fire on the night of July 1 noticed a man struggling to carry the statue down the street, a tip that police are following up on during their investigation.
The statue of Jesus with his hands outstretched was donated to the parish about 15 years ago, Micharski said, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph, some of whom reside in the convent there. The statue was offered in the memory of a deceased former pastor of the parish, as well as the husband of the parishioner who donated it.
The value of the statue, Micharski believes, cannot be measured as accurately in fiscal terms as it can in a spiritual context.
“In monetary value, I cannot tell you (what it is worth),” she said. “In spiritual value, and what it did for the community, there is no price we can put on it.”
She said the statue provided prayerful solace to many congregants.
“We had people who would come and just pray before the statue,” she said. “You cannot put any kind of a price on that.”
She said that the sisters will be celebrating the 115th anniversary of their order in September, and that the parish is planning to have a replacement statue in place by then should the original not be returned.
Chief in establishing the reward fund was Trenton South Ward Councilman George Muschal, who has also blanketed the neighborhood with flyers calling for the statue’s return to the parish community, according to published reports. He donated some of his own money to the pot as well.
Police have also been investigating the break-in, which took place on June 28, the Thursday before the statue went missing.
Micharski said that a man had broken into Holy Cross Church and was rummaging through envelopes, presumably searching for money. He wound up getting away with a microphone, as well as a cell phone belonging to a parish maintenance employee.
“We confronted him before he could…take too much,” Micharski said.
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