Sacrilegious theft of a tabernacle with the Blessed Sacrament

I got this from Aggie Catholic:

From Ball State Newman Center:

    Please pray for the safe return of the tabernacle (and of course our Eucharistic Lord inside) that was stolen from the Blessed Sacrament Chapel at the St. Francis Newman Center at Ball State University some time last night or this morning. Please also pray for the person or person who have committed this crime and act of desecration. Thank you.

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14 Comments

  1. Catholic Dad says:

    ACT OF REPARATION TO THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
    O sweet Jesus, Whose overflowing charity for me is requited by so much forgetfulness, negligence and contempt, behold us prostrate before Your alter (in Your presence) eager to repair by a special act of homage the cruel indifference and injuries, to which Your loving Heart is everywhere subject.

    Mindful alas! that we ourselves have had a share in such great indignities, which we now deplore from the depths of our hearts, we humbly ask Your pardon and declare our readiness to atone by voluntary expiation not only for our own personal offenses, but also for the sins of those, who, straying for from the path of salvation, refuse in their obstinate infidelity to follow You, their Shepherd and Leader, or, renouncing the vows of their baptism, have cast off the sweet yoke of Your Law. We are now resolved to expiate each and every deplorable outrage committed against You; we are determined to make amends for the manifold offenses against Christian modesty in unbecoming dress and behavior, for all the foul seductions laid to ensnare the feet of the innocent, for the frequent violations of Sundays and holidays, and the shocking blasphemies uttered against You and Your Saints. We wish also to make amends for the insults to which Your Vicar on earth and Your priest are subjected, for the profanation, by conscious neglect or terrible acts of sacrilege, of the very Sacrament of Your Divine Love; and lastly for the public crimes of nations who resist the rights and teaching authority of the Church which You have founded. Would, O divine Jesus, we were able to wash away such abominations with our blood. We now offer, in reparation for these violations of Your divine honor, the satisfaction You once made to Your eternal Father on the cross and which You continue to renews daily on our altars; we offer it in union with the acts of atonement of Your Virgin Mother and all the Saints and of the pious faithful on earth; and we sincerely promise to make recompense, as far as we can with the help of Your grace, for all neglect of Your great love and for the sins we and others have committed in the past. Henceforth we will live a life of unwavering faith, of purity of conduct, of perfect observance of the precepts of the gospel and especially that of charity. We promise to the best of our power to prevent other from offending You and to bring as many as possible to follow You.

    O loving Jesus, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our model in reparation, deign to receive the voluntary offering we make of this act of expiation; and by the crowing gift of perseverance keep us faithful unto death in our duty and the allegiance we owe to You, so that we may one day come to that happy home, where You with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, God, world without end. Amen.

  2. jbalza007 says:

    This is sad and deplorable! To think this occurred on a First Friday no less. Will certainly pray for reparation.

  3. Prayers are on the way. St. Anthony, pray for us!

  4. Allan S. says:

    Two words: Frosh Week.

  5. rwprof says:

    Lord, have mercy!

  6. StevenDunn says:

    What do you do with a stolen tabernacle, exactly? You can’t sell it at the pawn shop. Is there really enough precious metal in a typical tabernacle to warrant melting it down? Terrible thoughts, to be sure, but I’m just trying to understand the motivation behind it.

  7. Tom Ryan says:

    I go to Muncie frequently for AMA contest and I went there once for Mass. I give the crooks credit for finding the tabernacle.

    Be on the lookout for the biggest keg party this weekend as these students may have been motivated by all the cash for gold commercials.

  8. Now this is more reason for the communion rail.

    Time to pray the Prayer of Reparation taught by the Angel at Fatima

    MOST Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly.
    I offer Thee the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity
    of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world,
    in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference
    by which He is offended. And through the infinite merit
    of His Most Sacred Heart, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
    I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners.

  9. mvhcpa says:

    Thank you Catholic Dad and Pinoy for posting those beautiful prayers for reparation. However, as I reveal my pathetic catechesis, someone help me out here–

    Someone desecrates a tabernacle and the Blessed Sacrament inside and WE have to offer reparation for THEIR actions? Plus, WE need to pray for the DESECRATORS?

    Likewise, how can WE offer Jesus’ body,blood,soul,divinity as a reparation, when Jesus offered/offers Himself?

    I know that is what we need to do in this situation, but if someone would assist my faith journey and explain to me a little better this little corner of the economy of atonement, I would appreciate it.

    I remember offering my Mass attendance one Sunday as a reparation for a liturgical abuse that occurred at that particular Mass. I usually offer my attendance for the return of some family members to the Faith. I felt cheated that I had to offer a reparation for something SOMEBODY ELSE DID in place of my family members. (Or am I not understanding the “offering” part right–unlike the celebrating priest, we can have multiple intentions for a Mass when we laity assist?)

    Michael Val

    P.S. I just made the act of reparation posted up above in the first message. Like I said, it is beautiful, and it really makes you think hard about the eternal consequences of your own actions before you go off on someone else’s, even the tabernacle theives. MVH

  10. MargaretMN says:

    What would a communion rail have done to prevent this from happening? I remember that our student parish was locked during much of the day for this very reason. It was sad because there were times when people wanted to be able to come in and visit but the place was too exposed in the middle of the city to prevent theft or desecration and there were a few incidents where objects were stolen but fortunately never the tabernacle, probably because it was bolted to the wall.

  11. MichaelJ says:

    Prevent it? Probably not. But I can easily imagine that the presence of a Communion Rail would have given the thieves second thoughts, maybe even to the point of abandoning their plans.

  12. Agnes of Prague says:

    Dear Michael Val, the merits of the Mass are infinite, so you can definitely hear Mass and receive Holy Communion for multiple intentions at once. It’s true that what we receive subjectively is finite, and varies depending on whether we are attending Mass with our heart or not really paying attention.

    I think even priests can hold in their hearts many intentions at a single Mass, but can only ACCEPT STIPENDS (money) to offer a Mass for one intention per day. I think that might be what has you confused.

    How can we offer Jesus in reparation? It is a mystery: there is only one Offering of Jesus to the Father (Calvary/all Masses, which are only one Sacrifice), to which we add our wills, and somehow it has a real effect. Here is one possible way to think of it: Angels can’t receive Holy Communion, but we can, and what we receive really is Our Lord. If He deigns to give Himself–really and physically–to us in Holy Communion, and we receive Him, that means that, in some way, even though He is God, we “HAVE” Him. Thus, we are able to offer Him. Even if you have never received Holy Communion (e.g. a catechumen) or not on a certain day, because of this potential, we can still offer Him to the Father.

    I think this explanation may be acceptable. I have basic philosophy and theology, but not THAT much, so if there is anything wrong or overly-tenuous in this explanation, let it be corrected by one who knows better.

  13. mvhcpa says:

    Thank you Agnes for giving me a good and holy concept on which I can reflect when assisting at Mass (while I am dodging the occaisional liturgical abuses).

    Michael Val

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