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View Winners → Burglars steal priceless cross from Pasadena church
Pasadena Independent Jul 29, 2023
| Photo courtesy of St. James United Methodist Church
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In what may be a targeted theft that has rattled the churchgoing community of Altadena and Pasadena, burglars stole a valuable and historic cross from the St. James United Methodist Church.
The stolen cross has an estimated monetary value of $15,000, according to media reports. However, church representatives emphasized that its cultural and spiritual value is priceless.
The cross — which was designed by an Italian artisan and served as the church’s architectural centerpiece — survived the catastrophic fire at the Stanford University Chapel following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake before coming to St. James church in the 1940s.
This cross was stolen by burglars who smashed through windows of the church to execute the theft.
The Rev. Connie Tamkin from St. James church said the cross was stolen by burglars who smashed through windows of the church. She guessed the burglary must have occurred after 9 p.m. on Sunday, July 24, and before 8:30 a.m. the following day, based on when the church was last occupied and then reopened.
Deputies from the LA County Sheriff’s Department Altadena station are leading the investigation into the cross theft, KCAL9 reported.
Tamkin pointed out the one-of-a-kind mosaic design of the cross, highlighting its irreplaceability.
“It does feel like a violation, so your first response is like, how dare you,” she told ABC7. “They must think they’re gonna get something for it. Even if they don’t get much, it’s more than what they have now.”
Tamkin also revealed that the church has been seeing an increased rate of break-ins recently, prompting discussions on potential security enhancements.
Church officials are grappling with the question of how to secure the premises and valuable assets while maintaining its welcoming atmosphere.
“Over the years we’ve had to put in rod iron fencing, but it’s only this high. We’re now looking into having it go all the way up to the top,” Tamkin told ABC7. “We’re looking at putting security fencing in the interim to stop all of this from happening while we figure out a good solution.”
