The Archdiocese of Owerri has announced the theft of the Blessed Sacrament after unknown persons allegedly broke into the Chapel of Adoration at St. Mulumba Parish Owerri and carted away a monstrance containing the sacred host.
The incident, according to the church, happened at St. Mulumba Parish on Wetheral Road in Owerri during the early hours of Wednesday, April 29, while it was raining.
In a statement dated April 30, Rev. Fr. Patrick C. Mbarah said the suspects reportedly opened parts of the roof of the building before gaining access to the chapel through the ceiling.
He said after entering the chapel, the intruders made away with the monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament, an act the church described as a desecration of the sacred space.
“It is with great sadness that we inform you of the desecration of the Chapel of Adoration,” Mbarah said in the statement issued from the Archdiocesan Catholic Secretariat.
Following the development, Most Rev. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji directed all parishioners of St. Mulumba Parish to embark on a one-week prayer of reparation.
The prayer programme, according to the statement, will begin on Friday, May 1, and end on Friday, May 8, with daily sessions scheduled from 4pm to 6pm.
The archdiocese also used the opportunity to remind all priests serving in Owerri Archdiocese to strictly comply with norms and directives guiding exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and adoration.
It stressed that exposition should only take place when there is fitting attendance of the faithful, adding that the Blessed Sacrament must never be left unattended during exposition.
