'We Hope They Find Peace'
The baby Jesus from the nativity scene outside St. Mary Catholic Church was taken again this year. Though hurtful to the community, the church remains committed to being open.
By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
Email Adele
For the second time since he’s been Chief Operations Officer at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church in Fredericksburg, Chris Lanzarone is purchasing a new Baby Jesus figure for the church’s outdoor Nativity.
The figure was stolen the week after Christmas. It’s still missing, and the church isn’t expecting to get it back.
“This happens every few years,” Lanzarone told the Advance this week. It last happened to the outdoor statue about six years ago, and again about four years before that, he said. About three years ago, the Baby Jesus figure from the church’s indoor Nativity scene was also stolen.
There’s not much that can be made out from security camera footage in the area of the outdoor Nativity around the time of the most recent theft, Lanzarone said. Just like last time, the church didn’t file a police report.
It’s always the Baby Jesus that is targeted. The figures are never recovered.
“Father [Mosimann] and I spoke about it,” Lanzarone said, “and he said there are three reasons why this happens. It’s either someone pulling a childish prank, someone with hate in their heart, or someone with an innocent motive who did it out of love for the Baby Jesus.”
Whichever option it was, Mosimann tells parishioners, “We need to pray for whoever took it.”
Lanzarone said that whenever times start to feel contentious—as they do now—houses of worship become “flashpoints for emotions.” That makes them vulnerable, but restricting access to such places isn’t the answer.
“We want to keep the church open for prayer,” Lanzarone said. “The whole point is having a place for people to come and have an encounter with God.”
Whenever this type of theft occurs, Lanzarone said, the parishioners and staff experience a range of emotions—from grief and hurt to frustration.
But the church’s message for whoever was involved this time is simple.
“We hope they find peace,” Lanzarone said.
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