PARISHIONERS at two #Limerick churches were shocked after a travelling gang of thieves broke in and stole sacred vessels and cash during the Easter weekend celebrations.
The gang smashed the doors of the sacristies at both St Paul’s Church in Dooradoyle and St Oliver Plunkett Church in Mungret before stealing a large number of items including chalices and other sacred vessels containing communion hosts.
Gardai believe that the raiders targeted the churches expecting to find large amounts of cash from collections which would have been swollen by people paying their traditional Easter dues.
The gang caused extensive damage to the church doors and the sacristies.
One shocked local resident and churchgoer at St Paul’s in Dooradoyle said that the news of the break-in and robbery caused “great upset” to parishioners.
The thefts have left the communities in Mungret and Dooradoyle reeling in shock, the woman said.
“It’s very shocking and parishioners are very upset, to steal the Communion hosts is deeply offensive to the people and to God,” the elderly parishioner said.
In Mungret, one local man and “friend of the church”, said that he believes that the intruders were looking for cash at the church.
“There are gangs and thieves who go about their business – an illegal business at that – stealing whatever they can and wherever they can. They don’t care about, or sometimes don’t realise, the value of what they are stealing.
“They are just looking at the commercial value of what they can sell things on for and pay no attention to the deeper value of these sacred items.
“This is like a break-in to our house – it’s God’s house and there are a lot of people in the community who are welcome at God’s house – this type of activity is not”.
Gardai in Roxboro are appealing for anyone who may have seen anything suspicious at either location to report it to them at 061 214340 or 1800 666 111.
