$30,000 church statue stolen

Church leaders and police are scratching their heads after a five-foot bronze statue of the Virgin Mary, securely fastened to its base outside Our Lady Queen of Angels church in Newport Beach, was apparently stolen in the middle of the night.

The statue, donated by a Newport Beach family eight years ago and created by respected Mexican sculptor Victor Salmones, who died in 1989, was worth more than $30,000, church officials said.

The statue depicted the Virgin Mary bent in prayer and welcomed parishioners into the church at Mar Vista and Domingo drives. Father Kerry Beaulieu, the church pastor, last saw the statue in its place, secured by two bars of rebar fastened to the brick podium base at 10 p.m. Friday night. When churchgoers arrived Saturday morning, it was gone.

“I felt surprised. It’s a very safe neighborhood, these kinds of things don’t happen around here,” Beaulieu said. “But compared to what people have lost these last few days in the fires, this is very small in comparison. I think it’s more of a psychological shock of something that you’re used to being moved by strangers in an unknown way.

“Art has always been a big part of the church. We have art all over the place. They’re all a way of appreciating God’s beauty.”

Police said no one has come forth yet saying they heard or saw anything the night the statue was stolen.

“It’s pretty brazen,” Lt. Craig Fox said.

Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying any suspects. If you have any information, call the Newport Beach Police Department at (800) 550-NBPD. Information can be left anonymously.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at joseph.serna@latimes.com.