Two people were taken into custody Wednesday by Tucson police for questioning in connection to the theft of chalices from churches.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson asked the public for help Tuesday regarding the theft of chalices from three churches.
The chalices were taken from Our Mother of Sorrows, 1800 S. Kolb Road, on March 14; St. Ambrose, 300 S. Tucson Blvd., on March 21; and St. Pius X, 1800 N. Pio Decimo, between March 7 and March 24, said Steff Koeneman, a spokeswoman for the diocese.
No information on the two people in custody was available Wednesday night.
The chalice stolen from Our Mother of Sorrows was a gift to the Rev. Marco Carrasco from St. Mary on the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois. The gold-plated chalice, which is about 200 years old, was given to Carrasco before his June 2014 ordination.
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“Antique chalices were found in the basement at the seminary,” Carrasco said. He said the chalices belonged to priests who had died, and after they were found they were given as gifts to those awaiting ordination.
“I sent it to a priest friend and my parents so they could fix it up and polish it. The chalice has a lot of spiritual and sentimental value for me, and for the parish as well. It is a symbolism of sacrifice,” Carrasco said.
The thieves took the chalice from the church sacristy before the celebration of a quinceañera, Carrasco said. “The door was open and they took it. They took one chalice and also a paten,” he said. A paten is a small, circular metal plate used to hold unconsecrated communion wafers.
Carrasco said he just hopes the chalice will be recovered. “I don’t think they really knew what they were doing. It is hard to forgive, but we should find it in our hearts to always forgive,” he said.
John Shaheen, director of property and insurance for the diocese, said, “This type of crime strikes at the very center of the Catholic faith; these chalices are central to the celebration of Mass. The value of some of these chalices is intrinsic, in that they belong personally to the priests at the parish, or perhaps they have been part of the church’s ministry for decades and have significant meaning,” Shaheen said.
In addition to two chalices being stolen from St. Pius X, a paten was also taken. The items were last seen March 7, Koeneman said.
The thefts occurred at times when the churches were not completely occupied, but where a Mass or other service had taken place or was soon to take place, Koeneman said.
Video footage from Our Mother of Sorrows of possible persons of interest has been turned over to Tucson police.
