The tabernacle belonged to the personal chapel of Bishop David O’Connell, who was murdered in February.
Newsroom (08/04/2023 12:06 Gaudium Press) A tabernacle was stolen between March 24 and March 26 from the residence of the auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles, Bishop David O’Connell, who was assassinated last February 18.
The tabernacle that was in the personal chapel of the prelate’s residence did not contain the Blessed Sacrament, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles reported upon learning of the theft.
The Archdiocese also filed a police report as soon as it learned of the tabernacle’s disappearance. The details of the theft are still unknown, even if a suspect has been questioned.
The theft probably happened at the same time that Archbishop Jose Gomez was participating in a Eucharistic procession in downtown Los Angeles, about 10 kilometers from the stolen residence, on the occasion of the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord on the 25th.
David O’Connell
Bishop David O’Connell was born in Ireland in 1953 and was ordained to the priesthood in July 1979 by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and then appointed auxiliary bishop in 2015 by Pope Francis.
He was known for his engagement with immigrants and the underprivileged, as well as being pious and devout to the Blessed Virgin.
Bishop José Gómez stated that Bishop O’Connell “was a peacemaker with a heart for the poor and immigrants and had a passion to build a community where the sanctity and dignity of every human life would be honoured and protected.”
The murder
On the morning of February 18, Bishop David O’Connell was found dead of a gunshot wound to the chest at his home in Hacienda Heights. Immediately, a murder investigation was launched.
Two days after the crime, police questioned the prime suspect, 65-year-old Carlos Medina, the husband of the bishop’s housekeeper. Carlos Medina eventually confessed to the murder, although his motives remain unclear. (FM)
Compiled by Teresa Joseph
