Nothing is sacred to the ruthless thieves who broke into Chapala’s Capilla de Lourdes last weekend in an attempt to make off with the contents of the alms boxes kept inside.
Signs of the crime were detected early Saturday, August 25 by one of the masons employed to carry out repairs and restoration of the tiny blue temple located up the hill from the Hotel Montercarlo. Upon arrival he discovered the front door open, with its lock damaged.
On further inspection the workman saw that the lid of a nearby wooden collection box had been smashed. A metal one normally placed at the foot of the altar was gone and another built into the wall bore tool marks on its slotted front. He notified Chapala parish priest José Octavio Moreno Olivares and municipal police who arrived promptly at the scene to find a small side window had been forced open as the point of entry. Scars left on the outdoor stone staircase indicated the thieves’ path for dragging away the missing metal container.
Several hours later the workman heard sounds of smashing metal coming from a nearby vacant lot. Police returned and caught sight of two men trying to bust into the stolen alms box. The culprits took off into the hills to avoid capture, leaving the intact booty behind.