Seward church repurified after theft of Eucharist
Tuesday, March 15, 2005By Rebekah Scott, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Something evil happened at Holy Family Catholic Church in Seward last week.
 |
 |
|
Post-Gazette |
|
Overnight Thursday, someone broke in, climbed onto the altar, and unbolted the tabernacle from the front-and-center table. The thief ripped the 18-inch bronze box from the wall and disappeared into the dark. Nothing else was taken.
Inside were two ciboria, ritual dishes half-filled with wafers of holy altar bread. Catholics call it the Blessed Sacrament, and believe it's the body of Jesus Christ himself.
A volunteer discovered the damage at 6:30 a.m. Friday, when she arrived to prepare for the morning Mass. Word traveled fast.
"A holy place was desecrated," said the Rev. John Wilt, pastor at Holy Family. "It was so distressing, so awful. A Catholic church without the Blessed Sacrament ... the people were so upset, so sad."
"I felt like someone had died. I felt it physically," said Margory Cassidy, secretary at the church. "They tore up the wall, there was a mess strewn all over the floor."
But Wilt knew what to do. He canceled the Friday morning Mass and called the State Police, who dusted for fingerprints and took down statements. Then he called diocesan headquarters in Greensburg for instructions.
"Someone stole the Eucharist," said Chancellor Lawrence Persico. "Reparation had to be made for the desecration."
So at noon Saturday, almost 300 parishioners packed the church for a special Rite of Purification and Mass of Forgiveness, as required by Canon Law.
"We blessed the holy water, and we splashed the walls, seats, the people, everything," Wilt said. "I was expecting maybe 50 people at such a short notice. But the outpouring was tremendous. The people really sang out the music, and [scripture] reading was about the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. And we prayed for whoever committed this terrible, terrible act. ... It was so sad, really, like a loss, and we all were seeking comfort. There was nothing we could do about it but worship."
The presence of Jesus within a tabernacle or church makes the setting sacred. Stealing the Sacrament or altar items for other, less-than-holy uses is a definition of the word "sacrilege," a powerful expression of disrespect toward others' beliefs. Christianity and other religions create special rituals to cleanse violated places of the "spiritual stain" left behind when such crimes are committed.
Invading armies in medieval Europe were followed by priests who re-dedicated freshly pillaged churches and monasteries to God. Using a similar rite today, new buildings, ministers, altars, communion cups, Bibles, and prayer books are blessed before they're put to use, set aside for holy purposes.
Wilt wonders why the tabernacle was targeted. The vessels themselves aren't worth more than $3,000, the priest said, and items so obviously stolen would be difficult to fence.
"It was probably someone acting out against religion, against God," Persico said. "Who knows what they did with that Eucharist? It makes you feel violated."
Like many believers, the people at Holy Family found some redemption within their loss. By Sunday, Mass was back with borrowed altar fittings. Monday's 8 a.m. service saw twice its usual attendance.
(Rebekah Scott can be reached at 724-836-2655 or rscott@post-gazette.com.)