Hoodlums who broke into the Chapel of Adoration at St Mulumba Catholic Parish, Owerri, have stolen the Blessed Sacrament.
A statement by the Chancellor of the Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri, Rev. Fr Patrick Mbarah, noted that the hoodlums who broke into the Chapel of Adoration at St Mulumba Catholic Parish, Owerri, on Wednesday, 29 April, carted away a monstrance containing the Host (Blessed Sacrament).
Rev. Fr Mbarah said that the hoodlums opened parts of the roof of the building before gaining access to the chapel through the ceiling while it was raining.
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.”
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Following the development, the Archbishop of Owerri, Most Rev. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, has 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, 1 May, and end on Friday, 8 May, with daily sessions scheduled from 4 pm to 6 pm.
The archdiocese also used the opportunity to remind all priests serving in the Owerri Archdiocese to strictly comply with norms and directives guiding the 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.
