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Fr Emmanuel Pierre came face-to-face with an intruder at St Mary’s RC Church, Mucurapo, St James, shortly after 5 a.m. on Tuesday, June 2. The burglar escaped with two monstrances, a significant loss just days before the celebration of the Solemnity of Corpus Christi on Thursday, June 4.
Fr Pierre, the parish priest, told The Catholic News that he usually opens the church around after 5 a.m. in preparation for the 6.15 a.m. Mass. He said the intruder gained entry by prising open a side door located on the compound of the St James Medical Complex.
“As I entered the sacristy, I saw a door open, and I knew something was amiss. A table behind the door, the sacristy was ransacked…two monstrances had disappeared.” Fr Pierre said he turned on the lights and saw someone in a white overall walking back into the sacristy. He related, “So I shouted loudly, ‘I caught you!’ and he sped quickly to the door to escape.” The intruder escaped via the side door into a waiting vehicle on the hospital compound.
“They tried to move the tabernacle, but they couldn’t…they didn’t have time [to] take it because I met them,” Fr Pierre stated. The tabernacle was left on the ground inside the church. Police were contacted and arrived shortly after to collect evidence. The 6.15 a.m. Mass was cancelled as the church was a crime scene. Asked whether he feared for his safety, Fr Pierre said, “I was surprised but fear didn’t come into me…there was no fear.”
He confirmed the tabernacle was not damaged, but two monstrances, estimated to be worth $15,000, were stolen. He said that the sacred vessels are integral to worship and will need to be replaced ahead of Corpus Christi.
He added that he intended to contact hospital officials, as the perpetrator accessed the church from the hospital compound.
Crime scene investigators processed the area, and the St James Criminal Investigation Department is conducting investigations.
Police are also investigating a break-in at the St John the Baptist Church Parish Office in San Juan. Officers of the San Juan CID responded to the report around 6.50 a.m. on Thursday, May 28.
According to investigators, an employee reported securing the office around 1 p.m. on May 27 before leaving. However, upon returning the following day, she discovered the building had been ransacked, with several desks and cabinets opened.
Police said a cash box belonging to the church had been forced open and approximately TT$1,000 was taken.
