Desecration: Consecrated Hosts Stolen from St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church

Make no mistake; what happened in Carbondale is a very, very serious matter. Of course, with the Bishop, we hope the thief will realize the gravity of his action, return the ciborium with the consecrated hosts and repent. However, we need to remember that the enemies of Christ know full well the truth of who He is. They also know that He is truly present in the Holy Eucharist.

CARBONDALE, PA (Catholic Online) - One of the greatest blessings I have experienced in fifteen years of ministry as a Deacon of the Church has been visiting those who are dying. At my last parish, some who were supportive of my work referred to me as the "deacon of the dying." I received the "nickname" with a deep appreciation of the call to holy orders as a deacon. The parish was located in the inner city of Richmond, Virginia. There was a large elderly population, as well as a rapidly expanding base of young, devout families. Due to the fidelity and beauty of the Liturgy and the dynamic orthodoxy of the priest, it became a point of destination parish. It was a wonderful place, filled with people who had sincere, living Catholic Christian faith. That faith included a bedrock belief in the wonderful gift of the Holy Eucharist - and a dedication to Eucharistic adoration, an ancient practice which is experiencing a wonderful resurgence in this new missionary age. Some of my fondest memories are bringing what the Church calls Viaticum to those who were dying. Death is the great existential moment in all of our lives. It sorts everything out and opens men and women to their finiteness and need for God. Those who face death, not as an enemy but as a friend, experience the grace of a peaceful death. What often brings fear to the unbeliever opens the eyes of the believer to the infinite Mercy of the Lord who has, in the words of the Easter Antiphon, "trampled on death by death" and made it into a doorway to a new way of living forever in the communion of God's love. The word Viaticum is taken from the Latin. It means "food (or provision) for the journey". It refers to the reception of the Holy Eucharist as one prepares to die in the Lord. It is the true heavenly food for the journey into the eternal communion of love which awaits those who fall asleep in Christ. It is an ancient  practice in the Catholic Church and a privilege which Deacons are given by virtue of their ordination. In fact, it was out of the need to have the consecrated Eucharist available for this very purpose that the practice of reserving the Eucharist in the tabernacle began. Over time, the tabernacle, within which the Holy Eucharist was reposed, understandably became a place of intimate prayer and adoration. Because of my experience of the beauty of the ministry which flows from the tabernacle - and my knowledge of the development of Eucharistic worship in Church history - I am especially sensitized to the holiness and wonder of reserving the Body and Blood of the Lord in the tabernacle. One of my favorite saints, St. Escriva, called the tabernacle "Bethany". That was the house where Jesus visited with Martha, Mary and Lazarus. His reflections have fueled my own Eucharistic devotion. There, in the tabernacle, the new Holy of Holies, we can visit with Jesus, the same Jesus, who awaits each one of us. And I have done just that for many, many years. How I love to visit Him! I was taught by my mother and the nuns as a little boy to make the sign of the cross every time I passed a Church because Jesus resided there, in a special way. I have always done so, out of habit for many years. However, as age simplifies my life and strips away the pompousness and arrogance of youth, I have returned to the profound truth the practice symbolizes over and over. He truly does reside there, waiting for us to come.  All of this helps to explain why I was deeply disturbed to read of what happened this past week in Carbondale, Pennsylvania, in the Diocese of Scranton. We ask our readers around the globe to pray for the faithful of St. Rose of Lima Church, pray against any evil which could arise out of the sacrilegious act, and pray for the conversion of the thief who broke into that sanctuary, forcibly opened the tabernacle and stole the Ciborium containing the Lord from that Holy of Holies. Make no mistake; what happened in Carbondale is a very, very serious matter. Of course, with the Bishop, we hope the thief will realize the gravity of his action, return the ciborium with the consecrated hosts and repent. However, we need to remember that the enemies of Christ know full well the truth of who He is. They also know that He is truly present in the Holy Eucharist.

What is most troubling about the facts of the Carbondale case is that the thieves took nothing else from the Church.  The desecration occurred either on Tuesday evening, August 3d or early on Thursday Morning August 4, 2010. We offer the official Press release from the Diocese of Scranton below.
*****Press Release, Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania, Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of Scranton

Statement Regarding Theft at St. Rose of Lima Church in Carbondale It is believed that sometime overnight on Aug. 3 or early morning on Aug. 4 someone broke into to St. Rose of Lima Church in Carbondale . The person was able to open the tabernacle, the receptacle on the side altar in which the vessels containing the Blessed Sacrament are kept. The person removed the ciborium, the vessel which contains the small consecrated Hosts used for Holy Communion. These Hosts are the Body of Jesus Christ. The Carbondale police were notified. Police and parish staff conducted a search in the immediate area of the church in hopes of finding the ciborium, but it was not located. Since the consecrated hosts were removed from the church, this constitutes a desecration of the Blessed Sacrament. Therefore, Church law requires that one form of the special Rite of Reparation must be celebrated as soon as possible.

Bishop Joseph C. Bambera chose to celebrate the Rite of Reparation within the regularly scheduled noon Mass on Aug. 4. This included the altar being stripped bare before the Mass. The Mass included special prayers and readings. The Bishop blessed the altar, the tabernacle, the walls of the church and the people with holy water. The Mass concluded with Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. In his homily, Bishop Bambera noted that despite the sadness of such an occurrence, the incident reminds us of how sacred the Holy Eucharist is and how fortunate we are to partake of it on a regular basis - especially compared to our brothers and sisters throughout the world who do not have access to the Blessed Sacrament because of a lack of priests, denial of religious freedom or other circumstances. The Bishop asked everyone to pray for whoever was responsible for the theft. Hopefully the person will recognize the gravity of the action, return the ciborium and hosts intact and seek forgiveness.   Definitions:   Blessed Sacrament: The real presence of Jesus Christ under the appearances of bread and wine.  
Tabernacle: the receptacle or case in which the vessels containing the Blessed Sacrament, such as the ciborium, are kept.  
Ciborium: the vessel which contains the small Hosts used for the Communion of the faithful. It is similar to a chalice, but the bowl is usually larger and has a cover.  

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