KATY MAGAZINE NEWS
May 11, 2022
By Natalie Cook Clark
The Tabernacle at Katy’s St. Bartholomew Catholic Church went missing this week. The Tabernacle is a box that is considered to be the most sacred and precious item in most Catholic Churches.
Church Announced Theft on Monday
St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in Katy (5356 11th Street) announced Monday that their Tabernacle was stolen sometime between Sunday evening and Monday morning.
“As the police are investigating the case, we come together as a parish family to pray unceasingly for this horrible act of desecration,” stated St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in a statement.
Parishioners React to Crime
Hundreds of Katy residents and church parishioners have reacted to the crime. Follow the comments on St. Bartholomew's Facebook Page.
“To whomever stole the Tabernacle from St. Bart's Catholic Church, this is an insult, you cannot hurt us by doing this,” says Tom McRae, who has been a member of the church since 1986. “I sincerely hope you know with whom you are dealing with. You are in our prayers.”
A Tabernacle is a golden box that often holds the wafers used during communion that Catholics believe to be the body of Jesus Christ.
“To me, it is a holy place and the cornerstone of the church,” says McRae. “It is the ‘home’ of the ciborium, the vessel made to contain the Eucharist. It is most precious.”
The Eucharist refers to the Christian ceremony commemorating the Last Supper, in which bread and wine are consumed in communion.
Many others say the theft is sad and disturbing and pray for the Tabernacle’s safe return. Several share scripture online and offer prayers for those who took the sacred item.
“We cannot be destroyed by it, for we place our faith in the hands of Jesus, the Risen Lord who lives within us,” says McRae.
Katy Police Ask Anyone with Information to Call
The Katy Police Department is working with the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and asks anyone with information to call 281-391-4848.
“May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, guide and protect us during this difficult and heartbreaking time in the life of our parish,” says St. Bartholomew Catholic Church.