Prayers answered: Church posts on Facebook that statue’s head has been returned

WINNIPEG — A Winnipeg church’s prayers for the return of the head from a saint’s statue may have been answered.

The Cathedral of Sts. Vladimir and Olga posted a photo on Facebook showing the bronze head depicting St. Volodymyr resting on a table, saying that someone found and returned the head on Saturday.

The statue was decapitated outside the cathedral early Tuesday and a cross-like symbol on a Ukrainian coat of arms was also stolen.

The Facebook post says a group of people would be searching the area where the head was found to look for the cross.

Police spokesman Const. Jay Murray, who was contacted around the time the Facebook post was made on Saturday, wouldn’t confirm the head was found.

The statue was created by Winnipeg sculptor Leo Mol, who died in 2009.

“Thank you to all for your prayers regarding the vandalism of our statue of Blessed St. Volodymyr. We were very thankful to have someone find and return the statue head to the Cathedral today,” the Facebook post by the chuch said.

The church could not be reached for comment on Saturday.

The chuch had earlier said in a statement that the vandalism had created a financial burden for the parish, and that it didn’t know how much it would cost to repair.

The Canadian Press