The original head belonging to a statue of Jesus at a Sudbury, Ont., church has been returned.

The statue of Mother Mary and baby Jesus received international media attention after the head was reportedly stolen, then replaced with a bizarre, incongruous red terracotta head created by a local artist.

During Sunday Mass, parish priest Gérald Lajeunesse presented the congregation of Sainte-Anne-des-Pins Catholic Church with the statue's original head.

The original head belonging to a baby Jesus statue in Sudbury, Ont. has been returned. (Sophie Houle-Drapeau/Radio Canada)

Father Lajeunesse said a woman returned the head on Friday, after reading stories about it in the news and social media.

The woman said the person who took the head was suffering from personal problems, according to Lajeunesse.

The priest told Radio-Canada that he would not file a complaint over the theft, and is simply happy that the head has been returned.