The Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri is reeling after thieves broke into St Mulumba Parish on Wetheral Road and stole the Blessed Sacrament — an act church leaders have condemned as “desecration.”
The raid happened under torrential rain in the early hours of Wednesday, April 29, 2026, according to Archdiocesan Chancellor/Secretary, Rev. Fr Patrick C. Mbarah.
In a letter to priests, religious leaders, and laity, Mbarah said unknown intruders tore open the roof, dropped through the ceiling into the Chapel of Adoration, and vanished with the monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament.
“With great sadness,” he wrote, “we inform you of the desecration of the Chapel of Adoration of St Mulumba Parish.”
Parish Priest Rev. Fr Raymond Madu reported the break-in.
Archbishop Most Rev. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji has ordered a week of reparation. St Mulumba parishioners are to gather daily from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Friday, May 1 through Friday, May 8, 2026.
The Archbishop also put every priest in the archdiocese on notice: secure the Blessed Sacrament. Exposition, he stressed, must only occur when “fitting attendance of the faithful is assured.” And under no circumstance should the Blessed Sacrament “be left unattended during exposition.”
The rule is Canon 942. After this sacrilege, the Church says, enforcement won’t be optional.
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