BRADENTON, Fla. (WFLA) – Fourteen statues greet visitors at Saints Peter and Paul the Apostles Catholic Church in Bradenton. But near the Palma Sola Boulevard entrance, one pedestal sits empty.

Somebody made off with a five-foot fiberglass Mary statue. While it’s been recovered, it’s being rehabilitated and isn’t on display again yet.

Parishioners are upset. “Oh my God. It’s like, ya know, what on earth?” one church member said.

Almost a week after the statue disappeared, a road crew saw it hidden less than a half-mile away. “One of them spotted it and said, ‘There’s a saint in the bushes here,'” Father Mark Heuberger said.

The statue sat undamaged and in the same weatherworn condition it was in when taken. “They said, ‘Mary can’t be in a bush so hey.’ They retrieved her and when authorities explained where it was from then they brought it to us this morning,” Heuberger said.

Church members are relieved the statue is back. “Thank God they found her. Oh my gosh, thrilled to death. I love the blessed mother. Oh God. She means a lot to me,” Loretta Caruso said.

Father Heuberger figures the thieves rocked the statue a bit and discovered the bolts holding it in place had rusted. “It wouldn’t have any value if they wanted to put it on eBay or Craigslist, ya know. Who’s going to buy it?” he asked.

The priest said the theft was likely a prank. He doesn’t plan to press charges if deputies catch the thief.

Mary will undergo some refurbishment before she’s returned to her pedestal to welcome visitors to the peaceful place.TOP-CLICKED NEWS: