The icon was dumped in a forest more than three kilometres from Our Lady of the Snows church, where it had stood under a pink dogwood arbour.

Bright parish secretary Maria McGrath said her husband David had last seen it in place about 4pm Saturday before discovering it missing on Sunday.

"We went to the 8.30am mass and when we pulled up we noticed a big clump of Dutch irises pulled up and removed and my husband went to clean them up," Mrs McGrath said.

"Then when he came into the church he said 'the statue is gone'."

A dirtbike rider found it on Sunday afternoon, apparently rolled down a slope off Robinson Road in a plantation south of Bright.

Mrs McGrath said the plaster-coated fibreglass statue was ruined.

"The head is gone and the hands are broken off," she said.

"The whole statue is beyond repair, we'll have to purchase a new one."

Mrs McGrath said the statue was insured, but it is unclear how much it would cost for a replacement.

Leading Senior Constable Paul Doswell, of Bright police, said the theft was being treated as a drunken escapade, suggesting if was an attack on the Catholicism there would be damage to the church building.

"It's totally and utterly unfunny, it's upset a lot of people that follow that religion," he said.

"It might seem funny in their intoxicated state at the time, but in the cool light of day they could have used their time better."

Alpine Shire mayor Ron Janas, a former policeman, expressed disgust at the vandalism.

"I'm disappointed that someone would stoop to that level of destruction," Cr Janas said.

"It's Our Lady of the Snows and it is significant for the church community there and it doesn't matter what religion, when any religious symbol like that gets vandalised it is hurtful and unnecessary.

"It shows a low level of intelligence."

Anybody with any information about the incident is urged to contact Bright police on (03) 5755 1444.

Receive our daily newsletter straight to your inbox each morning from The Border Mail. Sign up here