Sandra Cuthbert, resident of Benedict’s Place, stands with Steven Jones, administrator of Saint Mary’s Villa, Cherry Hill. Cuthbert noticed the deteriorating condition of the statues around Saint Mary’s and received Jones’ permission to repair them, as she did with the Blessed Mother statue between them.
Through the fog and uncertainty that 2020 has brought, Sandra Cuthbert’s refurbishing of three religious statues outside Saint Mary’s Villa in Cherry Hill has given light to its independent and retired residents.
Cuthbert, a 68-year-old resident of the Diocese of Camden-owned senior residence Benedict’s Place in Cherry Hill for the past four years, would take walks in her area and pass by the Saint Mary’s Villa, once owned by the diocese but now part of the Catholic Health Group.
“I would notice the statues there (of Saint Francis of Assisi, the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Blessed Mother) that were chipped and deteriorating, and I kept thinking to myself, ‘This shouldn’t be,’” she recalled.
“It drove me crazy. It kept eating at me — to get it done,” she said. “This is a place where people need encouragement,” especially now, with COVID-19 restrictions limiting access and movement in and around Saint Mary’s Villa.
After receiving permission from the building’s administrator, Steven Jones, Cuthbert got to work.
Her lack of professional training in statue revitalization didn’t stop the former Walmart customer service representative and collection agency employee. With the help of books, YouTube and a home improvement store, Cuthbert got to work four months ago on the first statue, Saint Francis of Assisi.
The method stayed the same for all of them, she said: first scrubbing and cleaning dirt off the weathered statues; scraping chips and nicks, filling in cracks with concrete, and sanding; and, finally, painting.
“I worked on Saint Francis and the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the community room” of her building, she said, while she “worked on the Blessed Mother in my bathroom, away from the cats in my apartment.”
Cuthbert labored night and day, restoring these statues to their former glory.
“This is a gift to them” she said, adding that Saint Mary’s residents have told her they are “very happy” with her work.
As healing as it has been for residents, it has been just as healing for Cuthbert. Heart problems have necessitated surgery for her next month.
The daily craftsmanship “kept me calm, it was so good to me,” she said.
“She’s providing beauty and hope” to future residents and guests who will look upon the statues,” says Steven Jones, grateful for Cuthbert’s vision. “We’re blessed to have sweet neighbors like Sandra.”
at the bottom and then tap “Add to Home Screen”
