The Michigan Catholic

SHELBY TOWNSHIP — Thieves made off with nearly $40,000 and several items, including two chalices, from St. Therese of Lisieux Parish in Shelby Township on the night of Easter Sunday after breaking open four doors and the church vault.

The burglary was the third in a string of thefts from Macomb County parishes this year, and the second involving sophisticated means of breaking through locked doors and safes using tools, a release from the Archdiocese of Detroit said April 1. St. Lawrence Parish in Utica was similarly burglarized in February, and two men also stole a collection box from St. Rene Goupil Parish in late January.

The money stolen from St. Therese of Lisieux was from the parish’s Easter collection, the release said. The two chalices stolen were worth between $5,000 and $10,000.

The thieves gained entry to the building by smashing a glass side door, then used tools — likely a blowtorch or some type of drill — to breach the church’s safe. Shelby Township Police Chief Roland Woelkers told the Detroit Free Press the burglary was probably the work of a “professional crew.”

St. Therese of Lisieux does not have a security system.

According to police, a safe at another church in Clinton Township, St. Luke Lutheran Church, was also broken into Easter Sunday night. It is believed the two incidents are related.

The Archdiocese of Detroit was warning churches to be vigilant against further break-in attempts.

Anyone with information about the burglaries is asked to call Shelby Township Lt. Detective Tom Kohl at (586) 731-2121, ext. 315, or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-SPEAKUP.