Fietsam Donates Special Angel to Hostyn

So many memories went up in flames last June when Holy Rosary church in Hostyn was destroyed in a gas explosion. Joe Fietsam, a lifelong parishioner of the church, said one of the things he missed the most was the nodding angel that came out every Christmas season at the church. The ancient statue even pre-dated the old church itself and was placed along with the Nativity scene every year near the altar. When a coin was dropped in, the angel would bow its head. Fietsam went on a online search for a replacement, and finally found one for sale in Brussels, Belgium (one of only three in the world Fietsam said he could find). It was made in France in the early 1920s. It was from a private collection of saints and religious statues owned by a priest in northwest Europe. Fietsam purchased the statue, which made it’s way across the Atlantic Ocean safely. Thursday, Fietsam (above, right) presented the angel to an very appreciative Father Felix Twumasi (left) at Hostyn.