WAUWATOSA, Wis. -- The head of a baby Jesus was knocked off of a statue and taken from a church in Wauwatosa, Wis.

Church leaders and parishioners at Saint Joseph's Catholic Church said they feel violated, and now the congregation has to come up with money to replace it, reported WISN-TV in Milwaukee.

"We've got a very active group of people here, for the size of the parish. We have quite a number of activities and groups, and we're very proud of that," parishioner Mike Drake said.

The church's lot is full of well-manicured flower beds and several poignant statues, but one statue stands out a little more than the rest: One of St. Joseph with baby Jesus.

"It's nearly full size. It's 57 inches tall, and it's marble," church business administrator Debra Labermeier said.

"It's sort of the symbol of our parish, St. Joseph is our patron saint," Labermeier said.

Something's now missing from that beloved statue -- the head of the baby Jesus. It was sheared off in what the church believes is an act of vandalism.

"(I feel) sort of disbelief; why would someone do this?" Labermeier said.

"To come on these grounds for that purpose, it's very surprising and very disappointing," Drake said.

The church filed a police report and scoured the grounds, but the missing head was nowhere to be found.

"If the head doesn't reappear, we'll have to replace the entire statue," Labermeier said, which would cost the church about $12,000.

Insurance covers much of that, but the parish is responsible for a $1,000 deductible.

The statue was a special gift.

"This statue was donated by our Christian Women's Society about 10 or 12 years ago," Labermeier said.

Wauwatosa police said this is typical vandalism in their community. And they haven't seen an unusual number or type of cases lately.