Adoration chapel in Lipa robbed of monstrance

The monstrance containing a sacred host in the adoration chapel of the Parish of St. John Nepomucene in San Juan, Batangas was stolen, the Archdiocese of Lipa said.

In a decree dated January 9, 2019, the religious officials announced that the vessel was learned to be missing on the morning of January 4.

Suspects who committed the sacrilegious act were not identified in the decree issued by  Lipa Archbishop Gilbert Garcera.

The prelate, however, declared in the same decree that "those guilty so far as they have committed sacrilegious acts have incurred latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See."

Following the incident, Archbishop Garcera decreed the closure of the adoration chapel from January 10 to 17 as an act of reparation.

The whole parish will enter a day of fasting and penance on January 17 and a Holy Mass for reparation will also be held the following day, to be officiated by Archbishop Gilbert Garcera and all the parish priests.

The parish will also publish a brochure on the Catholic teaching regarding the importance of the Eucharist that will be distributed to the people. Aside from the brochure, a seminar is also set on January 18 on the same subject. — BAP, GMA News