Archbishop John Nienstedt
Please pray for the recovery of these items.
Posted on 07/01/2008 9:30:26 AM PDT by NYer
An overnight burglary at the St. Paul residence of new Archbishop John Nienstedt netted thieves the gem- and precious-metal-laden rings and crosses worn by bishops throughout the 150-year-plus history of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, a church official said Monday.
"These things are historically and reverentially irreplaceable," said Dennis McGrath, spokesman for the archdiocese. "They're beyond value."
Believed to be missing, as well, are rosaries and a small safe. "It's like a historical treasure trove, if you will," McGrath said.
The burglary came on a weekend that was set to be a glorious one for Nienstedt, who was in Rome for a welcoming ceremony featuring Pope Benedict.
According to St. Paul police, the break-in occurred at the residence at 226 Summit Av. between 1:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. Saturday. Whoever broke in climbed onto a first-floor roof and broke into a second-story window, police spokesman Peter Panos said.
About a week earlier, Nienstedt had set out for Rome with a group of about 100 church officials and worshipers, many of them acquaintances from his years as the bishop of the New Ulm Diocese, McGrath said.
On Sunday, they were witnesses to a ceremony in which Nienstedt received from the pope a pallium -- a garment presented to all archbishops. "It is an important event," McGrath said.
Along with Nienstedt's "former faithful from New Ulm," the archbishop then was to embark for Ulm, Germany, on a trip that had been delayed by his selection to his new post, McGrath said.
Early Monday, Panos, the police spokesman, said that it appeared that the stolen items might consist of a camera and personal jewelry, "but they're not sure," he added. But by afternoon, McGrath reported first the addition of the safe, then the rosaries and finally, after a church official reached Nienstedt overseas, the rings and pectoral crosses.
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
Please pray for the recovery of these items.
Why at home not in a bank vault?
“Why at home not in a bank vault?”
Why not sell them and help the poor in Mexico?
Judas Iscariot asked the same question once.
Probably because you’d think they’d be safe in the Archbishop’s residence...traditionally, in the past, Cathedrals had “treasuries,” which were places where these things were kept under lock and key. If you go to Europe and tour a cathedral, you’ll usually be able to visit the treasury, which is generally more or less the diocesan museum nowadays. They have fascinating and very valuable things in them.
That said, this was clearly an inside job, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find out who knew where the stuff was kept.
Pectoral crosses and rings are official signs of sacred office, and were paid for via the donations of people who wanted the money spent for ecclesiatical furninshings and vestments. So diverting the money to a different use and allowing the consecrated crosses and insignia of the church to pass over into the hands of, e.g., private collectors, would seem to be a violation of fiduciary trust.
It would be better to just raise money for the direct purpose of helping the poor in Mexico and elsewhere. Which the churches do on a regular basis, for instance in collections which go to Caritas, CRS, and Peter's Pence.
The Peter’s Pence Collection raises nearly $190 million annually to provide emergency assistance to those who are suffering as a result of war and natural disaster.
The national collection date for the Peter’s Pence Collection was just last weekend, June 28th and 29th, 2008 (Feast of Ss Peter and Paul.) If you're interested in helping the poor, you might consider this helpful link.
Thanks for the post. I heard the story yesterday, but didn’t hear the name of the bishop.
May the belongings of the church all be returned to Archbishop John Nienstedt.
Thank you for your explanation, it was very interesting.
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