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Father Maurice Moreau, O.F.M.Cap., pastor of Sacred Heart parish in Yonkers, was philosophical about the theft of the large gold and silver plated crucifix that until recently hung over the church’s main altar.
“Life is filled with far greater tragedies than losing something that you can—not that you want to, but that you can—replace,” said Father Moreau of the 5-by- 3 and-a-half foot crucifix stolen from the church altar sometime during the night of Oct. 13-14.
“I locked the church at 8:30, it was fine. I came in Tuesday morning at 6:10 and it had occurred sometime between that,” Father Moreau explained.
Yonkers police are offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the return of the crucifix and other religious artifacts to the church. Father Moreau said the thief or thieves broke into the church through a side door at the top of the nave, off Convent Avenue, breaking and crawling through a small stained glass window. Father Moreau presumed wire cutters were used to sever the cross from its mooring.
The crucifix, along with chalices and a ciborium, are replicas of items that were used at the Eucharistic Congress of 1937 in Manila, according to the pastor. The concern is that the artifacts may be or have already been stripped and melted down. Police are looking at surveillance videos in the neighborhood.
The pastor remained “optimistic” that some or all of the artifacts might be returned.
“It’s going to be a big cost to replace,” Father Moreau said, although the amount has yet to be determined.
“We have morning Mass in the side chapel so I’ll be honest with you, I wasn’t looking at that cross,” he said. A parishioner alerted him the crucifix was missing, he added.
Father Moreau said parishioners he’s spoken with have expressed their distress at the loss.
“They’re definitely disappointed that they’ve lost something of such historical value, something they have cherished for this many years, something that has always been part of the parish.
“Also, that it was the crucifix. It’s the cross! It’s the symbol of our faith and the symbol for Sacred Heart.”
