Days after being stolen from Mother of God Catholic Church, a statue of St Joseph has been returned.
Two statues, one of Jesus and one of St Joseph were taken last Sunday, however the Risen Christ statue has yet to be returned.
Police were alerted of the theft and it is believed that they were taken while the chapel was open to the public for prayer.
The statue of St Joseph was found by a parishioner in a shop where she proceeded to buy it and return it to the church.
“It was extraordinary actually,” said Fr William Kilgannon, who has been a priest at the church since 1977.
“On Monday evening I had evening mass and at the end I told them (the congregation) the story.
“The lady was in Church and when she heard the story, she had a couple of days before that been into the antique shop and saw the statue of St Joseph and bought it, and that’s how we got it back.”
The shop in question had sold the statue of Jesus already, but was not aware that the pair had been stolen.
“They were there for over 40 years,” said Fr Kilgannon.
“When they were put there they were worth over around £200 each,” he continued.
“I have Joseph back but I’m not going to put him up there yet until I get a glass covering.”
The statue that was returned is a standing wooden statue of St Joseph – the patron saint of working people, immigrants, house sellers/buyers among other things.
The other missing statue, a figure of the Risen Christ has already been sold on and the chances of its return are unknown at this time.
A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police said that the investigation is still in its early stage and that no arrests have been made so far.
Fr Kilgannon said he can only “hope and pray” that it makes its way back.
For any information regarding the whereabouts of the missing artwork contact South Yorkshire Police on 101.