Statue Stolen From Gibbsboro Church Recovered, Police Say

GIBBSBORO, NJ — The rare religious statue that was stolen from St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Gibbsboro on Aug. 30 was found, the municipality's police chief said.

In addition, Robert Adelman, 64, of Woodbury, was arrested and charged with theft by unlawful taking or disposition, according to police.

Adelman was issued a summons and released from police custody, Gibbsboro Police Chief Brian Leadley told Patch.

The news of the arrest was welcomed by Monsignor Louis Marcucci, leader of the St. Andrew the Apostle Church.

"I will be celebrating a Mass of Thanksgiving at 8 a.m. [Thursday] to thank law enforcement, the media and parishioners for their help," he said.

The statue was obtained during a trip to Fatima, Portugal, about six years ago, according to Marcucci and certainly was not "something ordinary that you bought off the shelf," Marcucci had said on Tuesday.

It is a replica of "an image of Our Lady of Fatima appearing to three children in Fatima, Portugal [in 1916] ... with messages of peace to the world," he said.

The statue also had a gold casing of the bullet that injured then Pope John Paul II during a 1981 assassination attempt, Marcucci said on Tuesday.

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