Wichita church gets its stolen icon back

Police are still investigating the theft of a religious icon, which was discovered in an antique shop over the weekend.

The icon, a rendering of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, was stolen June 11 from St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 145 S. Millwood. It wasn’t until reading about the theft in The Eagle that Spencer Hewitt, an employee at Hewitt’s Antiques, realized the store had purchased the icon earlier in the week.

Hewitt, who has worked in his grandfather’s antique store at 228 N. Market for six years, said a prospective seller came in Wednesday afternoon to get a price for what he claimed was his grandmother’s icon.

“He did have an unusual story claiming that it was from his family, saying it had been grandma’s,” Hewitt said. “He elaborated quite a bit on that.”

Hewitt described the suspect as a 30- to 35-year-old white man. He had a thin build with shoulder-length dark hair and a hat with the 173rd Airborne Brigade symbol.

Hewitt would not say how much he paid for the image.

The picture hung on a wall in the store until Sunday, when Hewitt saw the article in The Eagle and called the church.

Mike McDaneld, pastoral assistant at St. Joseph, said he was filled with joy upon hearing the icon had been found.

“I was very excited to hear it, especially that they called so soon, they called right away, once they knew,” McDaneld said. “And I feel bad because I know they purchased it off the guy, so they’re out the money here.”

Police are looking into whether the person who sold the icon to the store was the thief or an accomplice. Hewitt’s antique store has security cameras, but Hewitt said the recording from Wednesday had been recorded over before he realized the icon had been stolen.

A parishioner who went to confession on June 11 notified parish officials that crucifixes also were missing. McDaneld said he asked Hewitt about the missing crucifixes, but said only the icon was brought to the store.

McDaneld said although the icon has been returned, the church will still lock its doors between services.

The icon was of great importance to the St. Joseph community, where it had been venerated and prayed to since it was brought over from Rome in the 1920s. The image was brought over by the Redemptorists, an order of priests whose mission it was to spread devotion for Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

Hewitt said he is glad to see the icon back in its proper home.

“I think it’s wonderful to have that back with the history where it belongs,” he said. “It’s obvious people have been praying to that, and it’s been a symbol there for generations.”

This story was originally published June 19, 2016 at 8:55 PM with the headline "Wichita church gets its stolen icon back."