[UPDATED November 21, 2008 - Scroll down for latest]
On November 8, 2008, John Samuel Ricci was arrested and charged for attempting to steal Consecrated Hosts from St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Jensen Beach, Florida.
Man charged with stealing communion wafers from Jensen Beach priest
JENSEN BEACH — Parishioners at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church stopped a man from leaving Saturday morning Mass after he “attempted to steal a handful of communion wafers from the priest,” according to an arrest report.
Martin County sheriff’s deputies found six to seven parishioners holding down John Samuel Ricci, 33, of Canton, Conn., when they arrived around 9:30 a.m. at the church, located on Northeast Savannah Boulevard.
Ricci had tried to leave the church after grabbing the communion wafers, but “the enraged and offended parishioners stood in his way,” the report said.
Ricci got angry, cursed at the parishioners and even pushed two of them to the ground, according to the report. One suffered minor injuries, while another was taken to the hospital complaining of chest pain.
Deputies arrested Ricci and charged him with two counts of simple battery, theft and disruption of a religious assembly. He was still being held Sunday afternoon at the Martin County Jail on $2,000 bond.
Martin County Sheriff’s Office Offense Incident Report Case 08-13310 posted on The Smoking Gun site.
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UPDATES
Church in wafer case also had book of sacraments stolen
Parishioners Tackle Man Who Stole Communion Wafers
In a letter to the editor of the Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers, Father Molgano defended the church and its parishioners’ actions:
I am writing to respond to the article regarding the man who disrupted Mass in our Church on Saturday morning. The article described the incident as an “attempt to steal a handful of communion wafers from the priest”. It is important to understand that the “handful of communion wafers” was in actuality the Body of Christ and, by attempting to steal some and throw the remainder on the floor, the incident became so much more than simply theft. It was desecration of the Eucharist, of Christ Himself. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says “The Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of Christian Life.’…in the Blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch” (part 2 section 2 chapter 1 article 3 paragraph 1324). Our parishioners were right to be “enraged and offended” as the very Essence of our faith was attacked. Furthermore, our people are well aware of the existence of satanic cults in the local area that require consecrated Hosts for their rituals.
We have just begun to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Diocese of Palm Beach. The theme of our Anniversary celebration is “A Eucharistic People.” Part of the prayer for our Anniversary states, “…May we continue to share in that life of faith, hope and love, with each other and especially with the poor, the weak and the defenseless among us. Pour out your blessing upon us, rich in ethnic diversity, but one Body of Christ.” As a Eucharistic people, we ask you to join with us in prayer for the spiritual healing of the assailant and for the recovery of the parishioners who were injured in this heinous attack.
Rev. James E. Molgano
Priest Believes Satanic Cult Behind Bizarre Church Incidents
The Rev. James Moligano of St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church told WPBF News 25’s Terri Parker on Friday that he has reason to believe a satanic cult is behind the recent theft of a book of prayers, the attempted theft of some communion wafers during a service and the appearance of snakes outside the church.
Man Charged In Communion Theft Arrested Again
According to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, Ricci matches the physical description of the man shown in the video. As well, sheriff’s officials said Ricci was wearing the same clothes depicted in the video at the time of his arrest.
The Rev. James Moligano said he believed a satanic cult could be responsible for the recent string of bizarre incidents at his church.
“There are satanic cults in the local area, and in order for a black mass to be properly conducted ritually, they need consecrated hosts,” or religious items blessed by a priest, Moligano said last week.
Moligano said he could think of no other reason why someone would want to pocket the hosts or The Sacramentary.
Then there were the snakes.
“I’m not one to believe in coincidence, but there were snakes outside the front entrance of the church trying to get in on the heels of this incident,” Moligano said.
Moligano said the priests later found a live snake wrapped around the handlebars of Ricci’s bicycle, which they had placed in storage.
“I’m not saying that this individual was satanic or possessed or anything of that sort, but again, evil exists,” Moligano said.
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