In an early morning break-in at St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Mucurapo, armed robbers stole centuries-honored sacred religious artifacts, leaving the local parish community reeling and calling for collective prayer for their long-serving priest and congregation. The shocking incident unfolded before dawn yesterday, when intruders forced entry into the church and targeted items central to Catholic worship, according to details shared with parish members this week.\n\nThe stolen item at the center of the loss is the church’s monstrance, a ornate sacred vessel that holds deep liturgical significance in the Roman Catholic tradition. The vessel is specifically used to display the consecrated Eucharist during public adoration and ceremonial benediction, making its theft not just a property loss but a spiritual blow to the parish. In addition to taking the monstrance, the bandits also attempted to remove the church’s tabernacle — the locked, sacred compartment positioned near the altar that houses the reserved Blessed Sacrament. Law enforcement and parish sources confirm the intruders managed to shift the heavy tabernacle before making their escape with the monstrance.\n\nIn a surprising turn of events, the parish’s beloved priest, Fr Emmanuel “Mannie” Pierre, encountered one of the intruders during the break-in. The intruder fled the scene immediately after the confrontation, leaving Fr Pierre uninjured — a outcome that has brought widespread relief to the church’s parishioners. Investigators have already received key evidence from the parish, including a vehicle registration number linked to the suspects, which has been passed along to law enforcement teams working the case.\n\n“We are grateful that Father was not hurt, but it is heartbreaking that these sacred items were taken,” one parish member shared in a statement calling for intercessory prayer. “Please pray for Father Mannie and the parish of St Mary’s, Mucurapo.”\n\nFr Pierre, who is affectionately known to his congregation and local community as “Father Mannie”, is one of the most recognizable Catholic priests in the region. He celebrated a major milestone in 2021, marking four decades of priestly service to the Mucurapo parish and wider Catholic community.