Bishop conducts mass to sanctify Iowa church after robbery

CUMMING, Iowa (AP) - A robbery at a historic Roman Catholic church in suburban Des Moines compelled a bishop to conduct a special service meant to sanctify the church.

Bishop Richard Pates and the Rev. Dan Kirby led a congregation of about 75 people through St. Patrick's Irish Settlement Church in Cumming, flinging holy water up the walls to bless the sanctuary. They also asked parishioners to pray for those responsible for the theft.

The thief or thieves targeted the church in early January, stealing several Bibles and prayer books, but also a chalice containing wafers used during communion.

Pates said the wafers are "the most sacred element" in the Catholic faith, so their disappearance required the church to conduct the special ritual.

"For us, financially, it's minimal," Kirby told The Des Moines Register (http://dmreg.co/1zcsPXZ ). "But spiritually, you obviously can't put a cost on the Eucharist."

He said the ceremony marked a fresh beginning.

Established in the early 1850s, the parish is the oldest in the Diocese of Des Moines. An original log church was replaced in 1868 by the refined wooden structure that stands today. The church was visited by Pope Saint John Paul II in 1979.

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Information from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com