00:00The St. Mary's R.C. Church in St. James usually holds a morning mass Tuesdays to Fridays at 6.15
00:06a.m.
00:07Today, parish priest Father Emmanuel Pierre arrived at the church shortly after 5.15 to prepare for the morning mass,
00:13only to be faced with a church door already opened and items ransacked.
00:18I stepped, as I normally do, into the sanctuary, and as I did so, I saw someone approaching me with
00:28a white overall, I should say, and mask.
00:34My immediate reaction was, I caught you, I caught you, I caught you, and the intruder fled through the side
00:44door.
00:45Father Pierre said he pursued the thief who escaped onto the adjoining St. James Hospital compound.
00:51He jumped into a grey motor vehicle which sped off.
00:55Father Pierre said the police responded quickly and the morning service was postponed because of the incident.
01:00I had to cancel the morning mass because the church, part of the church environment became a crime scene.
01:08So, and then they did their work and they spent a few minutes.
01:13And when I realized what I was missing, we lost, we were missing two montrances.
01:20I saw, for a fact, there were many, some other items near to the door about to be taken.
01:26But because I came at that time, they probably disturbed them.
01:29They couldn't, they couldn't pursue.
01:31I checked the audio room and see that it was all opened up to ransack.
01:35And again, some of the items packed, ready to go.
01:39The thieves escaped with the church's two montrances, which are sacred vessels to the Roman Catholic Church.
01:45It's very upsetting and very disturbing.
01:47And, you know, I mean, upsetting and disturbing.
01:50It's always when you, when your personal peace is, you know, trespass, so to speak.
01:56And if you're a parish priest, your church especially, sacred vessels, it's disturbing, you know, I mean.
02:02Because the sacred is very special to us as Christians and particularly us as Catholics.
02:07And most so, you know, the Eucharist is very central to us.
02:10And the montrances is what we use to, for adoration, you know, you know, you know.
02:16So it's very upsetting.
02:17Peir said he had a simple yet profound message for the men who stole the sacred items.
02:22There's a better way to live that is more meaningful, more rewarding, and not as risky and dangerous that they've
02:32embarked upon.
02:33Parishioners said they were thankful Father Peir was not hurt and they were praying for him.
02:38Mark Bessant, TV6 News.
02:41Mark Bessant, TV6 News.
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