[StBernard] Violet church members rejoice in replacement of stolen gifts

Westley Annis westley at da-parish.com
Wed Dec 23 08:38:08 EST 2009


Violet church members rejoice in replacement of stolen gifts
By Paul Purpura, The Times-Picayune
December 22, 2009, 10:23PM

At Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Violet Tuesday night, parishioners
gasped with astonishment, and a few even cried joyfully, as they faced their
organizational task ahead.

During the weekend, a burglar broke into the St. Bernard Parish church where
parishioners on Tuesday marked the one-month anniversary of Our Lady of
Lourdes' rededication, a ceremonial end of a rebuilding necessitated by
Hurricane Katrina's flooding four years ago.

About 65 Christmas gifts destined for some of the parish's needy children
were stolen from where they were set, on the tiled floor below a large
crucifix mounted on the church's rear wall.

When the Rev. John Arnone arrived Sunday morning to prepare for Mass, he
found gift wrapping strewn about. The burglar stole a small crucifix made of
Jerusalem olive wood and left a lone gift -- a pair of boy's pants wrapped
in crepe paper inside a "Happy Holidays" gift bag. It remained Tuesday at
the feet of that crucifix.

But as word of the crime spread, people from across the metropolitan area
and as far as Wisconsin and Ohio stepped up. By Tuesday night, gifts were
piled on the floor about seven feet deep along three of the octogon-shaped
church's walls, including 15 bicycles donated by Boy Scouts in Metairie and
nylon crawfish bags stuffed with toys from the Salvation Army.

Clothing was stacked even on the rear pews, among parishioners who worshiped
during Tuesday's 6 p.m. Mass. And the church's poor box is wealthy for now,
thanks to cash donations.

No one bothered to count it all. Instead, they categorized the toys by
potential recipients, by gender and age range. The fear of whether they
would be able to distribute gifts gave way to worry over whether they'd have
enough wrapping paper, they said.

"Unreal," Jean Arnone, the Rev. Arnone's mother, said aloud to no one in
particular as she surveyed the toys. "It's unreal."

The Rev. Arnone found in the church's turn of events ample analogies in the
gospel. He spoke of sacrifice and resurrection, and of humbled hearts moved
by gratitude.

"They can steal our gifts, but they cannot steal our spirit," he told his
parishioners during the Mass. "We are resilient people."

No one had been arrested as of Tuesday night, according to the St. Bernard
Parish Sheriff's Office. The burglary happened either late Saturday or early
Sunday, officials said. Using a concrete block, a burglar broke out a window
to get inside. The person, initially believed to be a drug-addicted man, cut
himself, leaving a trail of bloody fingerprints and footprints, authorities
said.

Crime scene technicians were seeking a match for the fingerprints Tuesday,
and blood samples will be sent to a state laboratory for DNA analysis, said
Col. John Doran, chief of detectives for the Sheriff's Office.

Detectives, meanwhile, were chasing leads in Violet, Doran said. "We do
believe the suspect is from that area," he said. "He's got to be a desperate
individual."

The Rev. Arnone said the anger he felt upon the discovery has changed for
sorrow for a person who would break into a church and steal from the needy.

"It's an unfortunate need," he said. "But so much good has come of it. It's
really been incredible."

They planned to deliver the gifts Monday night. Because of the burglary, the
deliveries are set for Wednesday night. Instead of a gift or two, the
children will receive stuffed holiday gift sacks about the same size as
large yard bags.

The church prepared for months for the distribution. On a Christmas tree at
the church hang paper angels, on the backs of which are the names of needy
children between the ages of 7 months and 13 years. Parishioners purchased
gifts for specific children. One man, who would identify himself only by his
first name, Tim, returned Tuesday with a second wrapped gift because the
first one he purchased was among those stolen.

"We had the same name, so we're good to go," Tim said.

The church also received help from charitable and civic groups and
businesses, including a national chain store that provided gift cards with
which clothing was purchased for 125 senior citizens in the parish who
otherwise would receive nothing, said Phyllis Diecidue, a church volunteer.

And there are offerings of more, she said. The Marine Corps Reserve
contacted her Tuesday, saying it could provide three pallets of gifts
collected through its Toys for Tots drive. St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's
Office deputies were digging into their pockets for a cash offering.

"This is my Christmas," Diecidue said. "It is the true spirit of Christmas."




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