Thieves targeting Marysville churches: Tabernacle stolen from St. Mary's, damaged
MARYSVILLE, Wash. -- Detectives are trying to figure out who’s targeting local churches, over and over again, stealing things that aren’t just worth a lot of money -- they’re spiritually priceless.
St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Marysville is a place of peace for those who come to pray. But after being preyed upon, church staff are securing the sanctuary.
“As a Catholic it’s really a horrifying kind of scene,” says Pastoral Assistant Michael Schmitz.
Schmitz says someone broke into St. Mary’s on Sunday night, stealing the tabernacle, the centerpiece of every Mass, that holds the sacred Communion wafers.
“It’s bread that’s been transformed into the body of Christ. That is what we believe. And that is why it’s so deeply important to us, intentional or unintentional, it’s an act of desecration,” says Schmitz.
Days later, Schmitz says, the stolen tabernacle reappeared.
“We found it on Tuesday morning next to the church behind the bushes. It was on its back, the door ripped off, all the stuff just thrown about inside. All the hosts, wafers, just all over the ground everywhere,” says Schmitz.
North Snohomish County Property Crimes investigators believe this could be linked to multiple church burglaries in Marysville; a total of eight in the last two months, all within a two-mile radius.
“The other churches are missing an assortment of things like musical instruments, the equipment to run it, sound systems, electronics, laptops, all sorts of things,” says Sgt. James Maples.
What was once sacred, still is, according to the people at St Mary’s. Only now, it’s more secure, too.
“Make sure that your doors are locked. And pray for those who are doing this and preying on the churches in the area,” says Schmitz.
St Mary’s says the bronze tabernacle was worth between $6,000 and $8,000. On top of that, they have the added expense to upgrade their security.
Maples says investigators have no surveillance video in any of these cases and no suspect description. They are asking anyone with information to please do the right thing and call police.