{"id":15633,"date":"2016-08-23T21:41:00","date_gmt":"2016-08-23T21:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/fragment-of-christs-cross-stolen-from-california-church-74969\/"},"modified":"2016-08-23T21:41:00","modified_gmt":"2016-08-23T21:41:00","slug":"fragment-of-christs-cross-stolen-from-california-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/08\/fragment-of-christs-cross-stolen-from-california-church\/","title":{"rendered":"Fragment of Christ’s Cross stolen from California church"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

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San Francisco, Calif., Aug 23, 2016 \/ 03:41 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- A fragment from what is believed to be the True Cross of Christ, stolen from its home beneath a picture. It\u2019s a story one would associate with medieval legends or a Dan Brown novel.<\/p>\n

However, the theft is unfortunately a very immediate \u2013 and very difficult \u2013 reality for one California parish.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first thing we want people to know is that if anyone has it or knows anything about it \u2013 just to bring it back,\u201d Fr. Michael Hurley, OP, pastor of St. Dominic\u2019s Church in San Francisco told CNA. \u201cWe just want it back.\u201d<\/p>\n

The relic stolen is a fragment of what is believed to be the True Cross of Christ, an important relic and item of devotion dating back over two millennia to the Crucifixion. Catholic tradition holds that St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, found the Cross during her visits to the Holy Land in the 4th Century. The fragment housed at St. Dominic\u2019s has been verified by the Vatican as being a splinter from that Cross that St. Helena found.<\/p>\n

Fr. Hurley told CNA the relic was located underneath a painting of the Pieta, which depicts Mary weeping over the body of a lifeless Christ. \u201cFor the people of St. Dominic\u2019s, it\u2019s a place of comfort and of devotional prayer,\u201d Fr. Hurley said. The relic itself was a gift from a parishioner during a time of trouble, and holds special spiritual and emotional meaning for everyone in the community.<\/p>\n

The relic was stolen from its home on August 18th. The church has no security recordings, and there were no witnesses to the theft.<\/p>\n

The parish only learned that the relic was missing when someone who had come to pray at the church saw that the relic and reliquary were missing and asked if it was taken out for cleaning. \u201cWhen we went to check it out, it was clear that the lock was broken and the relic was gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fr. Hurley explained that for Catholics, the physical nature of relics has a very special and immediate meaning. \u201cFor us as Catholics, we believe that God is not just some distant force up in the heavens but is a real, living presence in our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

This intimate and physical reality of Christ gives special meaning to holy \u2013 physical\u2013 objects, he noted. \u201cThe Cross itself is not just a piece of wood but that symbol of Christ\u2019s love for us, and, if you will, a sacramental that puts us in contact \u2013 as all the sacramentals do \u2013 with the efficacy of Christ and His redemption.\u201d<\/p>\n

As such, he continued, the sacramental nature of the Church can be \u201ca comfort and point of connection\u2026for us as human beings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur spiritual life certainly takes its origin and roots in human experience,\u201d the pastor noted.<\/p>\n

Fr. Hurley hoped the thief would realize exactly what this relic means to the parish and its people \u2013 and that whoever took it would bring it back. By returning what was taken, he encouraged, the person \u201cwould be contributing to the devotional life of the Church.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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San Francisco, Calif., Aug 23, 2016 \/ 03:41 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- A fragment from what is believed to be the True Cross of Christ, stolen from its home beneath a picture. It’s a story one would associate with medieval legends or a Dan Brown novel….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\nFragment of Christ's Cross stolen from California church<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"San Francisco, Calif., Aug 23, 2016 \/ 03:41 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- A fragment from what is believed to be the True Cross of Christ, stolen from its home beneath a picture. 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