Relic stolen from Cathedral of the Madeleine

Friday, Jul. 19, 2024

SALT LAKE CITY — The relic of Saint Mary Magdalene was stolen from the Cathedral of the Madeleine on the morning of July 10. The theft was discovered about 7 a.m. when one of the cathedral staff found the broken reliquary, which held the relic, on the floor beneath the crucifix. 

According to Father Martin Diaz, rector of the cathedral, this appears to be an act of theft, not of vandalism. 

“This was a person looking for something of value to sell,” Fr. Diaz said. “It is likely that he picked up the reliquary, but once he got it off the shelf could not hold it, as it is very heavy. Once it was broken open, he took the one thing that appeared sellable.”

The theft was like a punch in the gut, Fr. Diaz said, noting that the relic was a connection to the saint who walked with Jesus 2,000 years ago and who was the first witness of the Resurrection.

Catholics do not worship relics; rather, the items “serve as a physical reminder of the men and women who have lived generous and charitable lives on behalf of God and others,” Fr. Diaz said in a July 12 press release. 

The relic, a sliver of bone, is sewn onto a piece of red velvet that rests in an oval metal and glass container about 10 inches in height. It has no monetary value, but is priceless for Catholics in Utah, Fr. Diaz said.

The relic was brought to Utah in 1918 by the Most Rev. Joseph S. Glass, second Bishop of Salt Lake. It was on public display as an invitation to prayer on two days each year: Easter Sunday and July 22, the Solemnity of St. Mary Magdalene.

This year for the celebration of their patron saint, the Cathedral of the Madeleine will borrow a relic of St. Mary Magdalene from the Carmelite nuns. 

After the relic was discovered missing, volunteers searched the streets and trash cans near the cathedral in hopes of finding it, Fr. Diaz said, adding that he is asking the faithful to pray to Saint Anthony that it is recovered.

Posts to the Facebook pages of the Intermountain Catholic and Diocese of Salt Lake City resulted in hundreds of reposts and numerous prayers. St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Park City offered a special act of reparation for the theft, devoting its Monday Holy Hour of Adoration “to pray for the finding of this priceless relic and in reparation,” according to a Facebook post.

The Diocese of Salt Lake City has provided the Salt Lake Police Department with surveillance footage of a possible suspect and is working with them to recover the relic. A reward of $1,000 is being offered for the return of the relic, or for information leading to its return. Anyone with information about its whereabouts is asked to make every effort to have it returned to the cathedral. No questions will be asked.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Fr. Diaz at 602-318-5555.

Fr. Diaz said that, at this point, it would be a miracle if the relic were returned, and although he believes in miracles he has begun the process of contacting the Vatican to attempt to find a replacement.