A golden crown from a statue of Mary was stolen from St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Philadelphia last Saturday, just after 1 a.m., according to police. The crown is a century-old artifact with historic and sentimental value to the church community.
A man broke into a church by smashing a stained-glass window and stole a golden crown with jewelry and gems. The crown, donated by parishioners after a fire in the 1900s, holds great sentimental value. Surveillance footage showed the burglar was quick and skilled, with associate pastor John McCloskey saying, "And he was in and out within 10 minutes. He was very agile and he knew exactly what he was doing." Father McCloskey said, "It makes me feel sad, very sad," about the theft, as reported by NBC Philadelphia and 6ABC.
A crown, which survived a 1899 fire, was recently stolen from a church, leaving the community devastated. Parishioner Monica Carvajal said, "It broke my heart to see somebody come in here and desecrate this sanctuary." She added, "It means a lot, that’s the blessed mother of Christ, so we really pray to her on that alter." Despite the theft, Carvajal expressed forgiveness, saying, "I hope he finds help and God forgives him for what he did." Philadelphia police are still investigating and encourage anyone with information to come forward, according to FOX 29.
