By Currents News and Paula Katinas
BENSONHURST — Police are looking for a vandal who walked into St. Mary, Mother of Jesus Church in Bensonhurst, removed a cross from atop the tabernacle, and fled.
According to police, the thief entered the church, located at 2326 84th St., between 7:30 and 8 a.m. on Aug. 8, approached the tabernacle near the altar, and unscrewed the 6-inch brass cross affixed to the top of it.
Police did not offer a description of the thief, except that it was a male. The church is equipped with security cameras, but the image of the person standing near the tabernacle is obscured by columns in the church, according to Msgr. Andrew Vaccari, pastor of St. Mary, Mother of Jesus.
“We have the church open every day for people to come in and pray privately. And ordinarily, there’s no incidents,” Msgr. Vaccari told The Tablet on Aug. 19.
RELATED: Astoria Man Indicted for Destruction of Baby Jesus Statue at Queens Church
Msgr. Vaccari, who informed his parishioners of the incident during Masses that weekend, said people were shocked.
“They were very disturbed … that somebody would take something from a church, something so sacred. The tabernacle, of course, is so essential to our faith, so critical to our love for the Lord,” Msgr. Vaccari explained. “I wish I knew the motivation of [the vandal]. If the person were to return it, if the person would try to make amends, I’d be willing to forgive the person.”
But since the incident, “we haven’t had any sign of any restoration or restitution or anything along those lines,” he added, noting that parishioners have been praying for the intercession of St. Anthony of Padua, the patron saint of lost items.
The church plans to replace the cross and is currently trying to assess its value to determine an estimate, Msgr. Vaccari said.
As a result of the theft, St. Mary, Mother of Jesus Church may have to rethink its open-door policy, Msgr. Vaccari acknowledged. “We have to decide if we’re going to keep the church open the same amount of time. We’re going to try to adjust that,” he explained.
The incident at St. Mary, Mother of Jesus was the third crime committed against a church in the Diocese of Brooklyn this summer.
On June 21, a person armed with a crowbar hit a statue of the Virgin Mary outside of Holy Family Church in Fresh Meadows, causing significant damage. And, on Aug. 15, a vandal damaged a cross and a statue at Our Lady of Grace Church in Howard Beach. Police made arrests in both of those incidents.