Stolen Gold Tabernacle Update: Cash Reward Offered In Park Slope Theft

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — Authorities still looking for a solid gold tabernacle stolen from a Park Slope church in May are now offering thousands of dollars for information about the burglary.

"Up to $3,500 reward for information regarding a burglary," NYPD signs plastered near the St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church on Sixth Avenue and Park Place read.

Photos of the bejeweled, solid gold tabernacle, which police said was stolen from the church between May 26 and 28, are on the signs.

The sanctuary's security cameras reportedly weren't on during that time due to construction, meaning little is known about the person (or people) who cut open the protective, metal-clad altar and made off with the $2 million tabernacle, which held ritual communion items, police said.

To add insult to injury, a statue of an angel was decapitated in the process, and holy items were strewn across the altar, NYPD photos show.

"To know that a burglar entered the most sacred space of our beautiful Church and took great pains to cut into a security system is a heinous act of disrespect," said Father Frank Tumino, pastor of St. Augustine in a statement immediately following the burglary.

The community of St. Augustine has been in mourning since the theft, prompting the head of the Brooklyn Diocese to visit the church and offer blessings late last week.

"When something like that happens, we need to restore it to its dignity," Bishop Brennan said, according to a NY1 report. "But more than that, we need consolation in our hearts. We need healing and, hopefully, a sense of renewal."

Parishioners told the outlet that they've been devastated by losing the tabernacle.

"The tabernacle is a material thing. But it holds so much greater," longtime Cecilia Gottsegen said. "Pray for the people who did it because they need a change of heart."

The holy object was made in the late 1800s about the same time the church was built, the diocese said.

Related Article: $2M Gold Tabernacle Stolen From Park Slope Church, Police Say