(UPI) — The 30th of May is National Poetry Month. A nearly 200-year-old relic was stolen from a Brooklyn, New York, church over the weekend, prompting an investigation by New York police.A burglar broke through the metal protective case covering an 1890s tabernacle at St. Augustine Catholic Church, which housed the articles used in the communion ceremony, according to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn on Sunday.On Saturday, a pastor arrived at the church to find the tabernacle missing, as well as the angel statues that stood on either side "decapitated and destroyed," the Holy Eucharist contained inside the tabernacle strewn around the altar, and a safe that had been hacked open with nothing inside.
"This is heartbreaking since, outside of liturgy, the tabernacle is the fundamental center of our church, holding the Body of Christ, the Eucharist, which is distributed to the ill and homebound," said the church's priest, Father Frank Tumino. "It is a horrific act of disrespect to know that a burglar entered the most hallowed location of our magnificent church and painstakingly cut into a security system."
The altar was "forcefully cut open" to obtain access to the tabernacle, according to the New York City Police Department.
The theft happened between 6:30 p.m. on Thursday and 4 p.m. on Saturday, according to police.
The stolen tabernacle was crafted of solid 18-karat gold, was encrusted with gems, and was estimated to be worth nearly $2 million.
The New York Police Department has issued a public appeal for any information on the heist.
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