Chapel door left unlocked after Christmas party, says police
Gold rings and necklaces in a glass case of the religious relics of St. Rita of Cascia were stolen Sunday night from the Chapel of Holy Relics in Tabor Hill, barangay San Jose in Talamban, Cebu City.
The valuables were gifts left by devotees of the Italian Augustinian nun, who died in the 15th century, and is revered as patron saint of the “lost and impossible causes.”
The theft of jewelry, estimated to cost P600,000, was reported to the Talamban police station yesterday morning.
Jewelry that make up the ex voto offerings to St. Rita of Cascia before some pieces were stolen. (PHOTO GRABBED FROM FACEBOOK ACCOUNT OF CHAPEL OF HOLY RELICS)
A photo of the broken glass coffin that contains a life-size image of St. Rita was posted on the Facebook account of Fr. Dennis Ruiz of the Chapel of Holy Relics run by the Order of the Discalced Augustinians.
The priest said the missing jewelry were “ex voto offerings” of devotees and that the burglary took place at about 9 p.m. Sunday.
A shattered portion near the foot of the glass case showed a few pearl necklaces still hanging there.
Senior Insp. Jose Gesto, Talamban police chief, said donated rings and necklaces were taken by still unidentified men and that police have two suspects in mind, both former inmates of the city jail.
He said the theft took place after church leaders and workers of Tabor Hill held a Christmas party. The chapel’s main door was left unlocked after the party. A seminarian discovered the broken glass and missing jewelry.
A devotee posted a photo of what the offerings looked like before the burglary – gold and pearl necklaces dangling at the foot of the image lying in a glass tomb.
Gesto said the police were looking for two suspects who were identified as newly released inmates of the city jail.
Investigators from the Investigation and Detection Management Branch (IDMB) are assisting the Talamban police.
“We will help the investigation so that the case is solved soon,” said Aileen Recla, IDMB chief.
A relic is traditionally a piece of the body of a saint or martyr– like bone fragments or hair – or clothing which is venerated as memorials of a specific holy person.
The relics of St. Rita are only one of the more than 800 relics in the private chapel belonging to various Catholic saints, apostles, and, according to its official online site, even Jesus and his mother Mary. Founders of other religious orders are also displayed along with Augustinian saints.
Who is Saint Rita?
The glass case of the religious relic of St. Rita of Cascia in Tabor Hills in Talamban, Cebu City was broken by burglar. (PHOTO GRABBED FROM FACEBOOK ACCOUNT OF CHAPEL OF HOLY RELICS)
Saint Rita of Cascia was an Italian widow who became an Augustinian nun.
Many believers invoke her help as patroness of abused wives and mourning women.
Like St. Jude, she acquired the reputation as a saint of impossible causes, according to a Catholic website catholic.org.
Rita was extolled as a model wife and mother who struggled to convert her abusive husband. When her spouse was killed by another feuding family, she dissuaded her sons from taking revenge.
Her image is often portrayed with a bleeding wound on her forehead, which the Catholic Church considers a partial stigmata or wound that resembles the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ.
She died in 1457. Her body, which has remained incorrupt over the centuries, is venerated at a shrine in Cascia, Italy. Many people visit her tomb each year.
Devotees have turned to her for intercession for miracles.
Her feast day is celebrated every May 22.
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