Thief Steals Holy Eucharist from Upper West Side Church

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — A blasphemous thief pried open the doors of a Catholic church on the Upper West Side and stole one of the congregation's most sacred items.

The Holy Trinity church on the 200 block of West 82nd Street was broken into Monday, Sept. 19, the church's pastor Thomas Sandi told Catholic New York. During the break-in the holy eucharist was stolen from the church, Sandi said. The eucharist is extremely important to Catholic parishioners, who believe that when blessed it becomes the body of Christ.

But despite the violation, churchgoers still attended Sunday Mass last weekend. And the mass included a special guest, Bishop John O'Hara, who broke the bad news and spoke on behalf of Cardinal Timothy Dolan.

"Good and gracious God, we have come together once again to celebrate the Paschal Mystery, and your Son’s triumph over sin and death. But on this the Lord’s day we grieve, as your sanctuary and the Most Blessed Sacrament have been violated," O'Hara said during the mass, as reported by Catholic New York.

O'Hara said Dolan was aware of the crime and would support the congregation of the church through the tough time, reported Catholic New York.

"The brokenness and sadness we have in our society that seems to be increasing," Bishop O’Hara told CBS New York.

In light of the break-in, Sandi is considering putting up security cameras in the church, he told CBS New York.

Photo: Google Maps street view circa May 2016