When Father Frank Tumino entered the sanctuary at the Roman Catholic Church of St. Augustine’s in Brooklyn on Saturday to kick off a beautiful weekend, the cathedral’s sacred space was missing something special — $2 million worth.
Father Tumino discovered that someone had entered the church with a powerful saw, pry open the altar with the Blessed Sacrament – items used for the Communion ceremony – and had stolen his solid gold tabernacle. altar and beheading an angel statue. Sacred items taken from the tabernacle were scattered on the altar.
“Knowing that a thief entered the holiest space of our beautiful church and suffered so much to break into the security system is a disgusting act of disrespect,” Father Tumino said in a statement. a statement was released on Sunday of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn.
The church, a large brownstone building nestled in the heart of the Park Slope and known as the “Cathedral of Notre Dame” by the area Started as an anchorage for the German and Irish Catholic communities of Brooklyn in 1888. The Stolen Tabernacle, in solid 18-karat gold, covered in jewels and worth about $2 million , was taken the same year, according to police.
Investigators believe the theft occurred between 5:30 p.m. Thursday and 4 p.m. Saturday, police said. Police said the church was closed and under construction at the time and the sanctuary’s security cameras were not working.
The Diocese of Brooklyn said in its statement that church officials believe the break-in happened on Friday. The diocese said a safe in the church was also broken into but was empty.
In the statement, the diocese called the theft “a brazen crime of disrespect and hatred.” Police said the crime is currently not being investigated as it is related to bias. Police said a suspect has not been identified and that law enforcement officials are still determining whether the crime was committed by an individual or a group.
