Holy items stolen from a Catholic Church in Fresno County have been returned – except one sacred piece, according to the Diocese of Fresno.
Over the weekend, St. Rita’s Mission Church in Yokuts Valley had its tabernacle, Eucharist, and other holy items taken. On Wednesday, officials say the items reported stolen were found on the doorsteps of another church, not affiliated with the Catholic Diocese, on Shaw and McCall in Fresno County; the Eucharist was not among the items recovered, which the Diocese of Fresno described as “disheartening and alarming.”
Officials say the items were accompanied with a note asking to return the items to St. Rita’s Mission Church.
“While the Church community, Fr. Arias and Bishop Brennan are glad the items were returned to the parish, it is disheartening and alarming that the Holy Eucharist was not returned with the items. We as a faith community offer up prayers of thanksgiving for the items we recovered, but also still pray for the individual who did not return the Holy Eucharist,” says Chandler Marquez, director of communications for the Diocese of Fresno.
It’s obvious the thief had some semblance of conscience to leave the sacred items on the doorstep of another church. Perhaps a sense of remorse, and Divine intervention, will also lead the person to return the Eucharist to St. Rita’s.
Oh my.