TURLOCK, Calif. -- Surveillance video shows a man breaking and stealing a statue of the Virgin Mary that adorned a fountain outside a California church.

The footage recorded on the grounds of St. Thomas Assyrian-Chaldean Catholic Church in Turlock on Saturday night catches a man climbing the fountain's steps, and then throwing the porcelain centerpiece to the ground, reported KCRA-TV in Sacramento.

Parishioner David Yonan said by the time he reached the church Sunday morning, all that was left were broken shards from the back of the Italian-made, $3,000 statue's head.

"I still look for her -- I'm looking for her all over the place. I drove around Turlock yesterday all night long to see if she was dropped somewhere," he said.

Even without the statue, members are still praying at the fountain. But instead of praying to the Virgin Mary, they're praying for the Virgin Mary, the safe return of their statue.

"We cherished her. She's a blessing in our lives and a friend," parishioner Tina Yonan said. "It hurts, we're devastated, I'm speechless. I don't know what to say -- how could anybody do such a thing?"

Churchgoers said they hope the surveillance video will help police locate the vandal.