WESTFIELD – The sanctity of the church was apparently violated Wednesday by a thief who stole a parishioner’s purse while she was praying.
A Sackett Road resident called police Wednesday afternoon to report that her purse was stolen at St. Mary’s Church while she was there to pray as she does regularly on Wednesday.
Officer John Barnachez reports that the woman said that she sat in a pew in the lower church and left her purse and other items in the pew when she went up to the altar to pray.
The woman said that when she returned to her pew her purse was missing although her other property was still where she had left it.
The victim said that she had not seen anybody in the lower church while she was there except for two elderly ladies who had been seated the front of the church.
Barnachez reports that he spoke the two women the victim indicated and neither said that they had seen anybody else in the church.
