BLESSED SACRAMENT ROBBED FROM SACRED HEART CHURCH, VADTAL,Gujarat

BLESSED SACRAMENT ROBBED FROM SACRED HEART CHURCH, VADTAL

Today 25th Feb 2012 morning at 5.45 am I, Fr. Anthony Cardoz sfx had entered the church for my meditation. No sooner I entered the church from the door adjoining my room, I saw the door that connects the church from the sacristy wide open. I got a feeling that Fr. Martin the parish priest must have gone in the church to pray. I went in the church and saw the tabernacle wide open, out of curiosity I went close to the tabernacle and saw that the Ciborium and two Lunettes were missing. Immediately with out delay, I rushed to the room where Fr. Martinho the parish priest resides. I called out to him and said about the missing Ciborium and Lunette. He came running to the church from the sacristy and we both were shocked to see the Ciborium and the Lunette missing. After sometime of search in the church, we saw the place where the amplifier is placed, and the locker below the statue of guardian angel was wide open.

 

In the mean time we called out to Kantibhai our sacristan and the warden who was accompanied by Amit our domestic staff. All four of us (Frs Martinho, Anthony Kantibhai and Amit) searched for the missing goods in the sacristy. As time elapsed we started to search for the missing things outside the church. Fr. Martinho saw the mass kit thrown in the nearby field which belongs to the parish. When we went close by we saw the entire kit emptied and all the sacred vestments, missals, lectionaries and other things required for the Mass emptied in the field from the kit.After a long search we could recover some things except the Ciborium in which the consecrated hosts were placed and the Lunette.

Since it was time up for the Mass which is at 7 am, the parish priest informed this happening to the parishioners who too were upset and empathized with us.

In the course of time the Parish Priest informed the Bishop of Ahmedabad Rt Rev Thomas Macwan, the Vicar General Rev Fr Rocky Pinto, and Dean of Nadiad Deanery Fr. Arul, the Provincial of the Pilar Fathers Mumbai Province Rev Fr Sebastian Mascarenhas were immediately informed. Fr Arul the dean of Nadiad Deanery came to Vadtal along with his parishioner Mr Basilbhai, Ashok Vagela, Anil Macwan, Samuel Vagela, Ambrose Yakub Parmar, Fr. Tony the parish priest of Mariampura church from Petlad was accompanied by Baldevbhai G Parmar and others had come, the sisters of the Helpers of Mary our collaborators and some concerned parishioners came and did spend a lot of time in the parish campus giving moral support to the Parish Priest and his assistant.

Since the seriousness of this incident was felt the manager of the RC Mission School, Rev Fr Martinho Alvares sfx, told the Headmistress of the school to send the children home. The sisters along with the Hostel children and the parishioners kept on praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament which was brought from the sister’s convent.

After some time it was decided to lodge a complaint in the police station.  The same was done by the parish priest and the complaint was substantiated by some photographs that were clicked by Fr. Anthony Cardoz. 

At the police station a complaint was lodged, and all that was spoken was recorded in writing. It was told to the concered Police who was writing what had been told to give us a copy of the said matter to which he told that the same would be given later after doing some formalities.

No sooner we reached the parish campus, another police man came and once again he wrote the entire incident that was told to him and he told Frs Martinho and Anthony and Kantibhai and Amit to sign the report. He told that the copy of the same would be given after further inquiry at about 4 pm.

Till the mean time the Priests, Sisters, Parishioners and the Hostel children are continually praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament while some of our parishioners are frantically searching for the Ciborium and Lunette which contains the CONSECRATED HOST.

News and photos By

Rev. Fr. Anthony SFX, APP Vadtal Church.

 વહેલી સવારે આ દુષ્ટ કૃત્યની વધુ ચકાસણી કરતા જાણવા મળ્યું કે ખ્રિસ્તયજ્ઞ માટેની બેગ તથા બાઈબલ ખેતરમાં કોઈ અજાણ્યા ચોર દ્વારા ફેકી દેવામાં આવ્યા હતા. આ બનાવમાં ચોર દ્વારા પવિત્ર ખ્રિસ્તપ્રસાદ (Blessed  Sacrament)ની ઉઠાંતરી કરેલ છે. તપઋતુની શરૂયાતના આ સમયે બનેલી ઘટનાથી વડતાલ તથા વડતાલ તાબાના લોકોએ સમગ્ર ઘટનાને વખોડી કાઢી શ્રદ્ધાને ઢેસ પહોચાડવાનું કામ કરેલ છે તેવો વિરોધ વ્યક્ત કર્યો છે . આજે આ દુઃખદ પ્રસંગે દૂતના તંત્રીશ્રી થોમસ પરમારે મુલાકાત લીધી હતી અને આ ઘટનાને વખોડી કાઢી હતી .