A Wellington church says it will close for a day if two "precious" pieces taken from its altar aren't returned.
Clergy at St Peter's on Willis in Te Aro first noticed the two icons, which sat on the church's high altar, were missing on Tuesday. They have no idea how the pieces disappeared.
As a way of mourning their loss and violation of hospitality, the church plans to close its doors for a day if the icons aren't returned.
One of the icons depicts a mother and son and is called Mother of Mercy and Compassion. It was created by the church's Reverend Jean Malcolm, who is an iconographer. The other is a copy of the Icon of Christ and Abbot Mena, a Coptic painting depicting Jesus with his arm around Abbot Saint Menas – its original hangs in the Louvre.
Reverend Malcom said that while the pieces didn't hold much monetary value, they were "precious to us" and are "part of the fabric of our building and therefore part of our community and part of our prayer life".
"To have them taken, it leaves a big gap. It leaves a big hole, not just empty on the stands but in our hearts," she told 1News.
The church is usually open to visitors during the day, priding itself on hospitality. It's believed the icons were taken by one of these visitors.
Reverend Malcom said she felt strange about losing the piece she created, like "a person who's written a piece of music and having it being played badly".
"It being used for the wrong thing or something's happened to it that's kind of not what you would normally have."
It's the second time in months the church feels its hospitality has been abused. In April, a lecturn shaped as a golden eagle was damaged.
Reverend Stephen King said these were the first serious incidents the church had experienced in years. He believed it was "symptomatic" of the difficult social and economic situation the city was experiencing.
"It seems as tough as it's ever been out there on the streets," he said. "We see that things are hard, and we know because we see more people in here looking for assistance."
"There's a number of food distribution ministries that run out of St Peter's, and we know that the lines are longer and that there's more food being given out than even before."
Despite the recent incidents, both Reverend Malcolm and Reverend King wanted to keep the church's doors open and not lock away their precious items.
"We want to stay welcoming. We, we want that kind of attitude in the world," Reverend Malcom said.
If the items aren't returned, the church would close its doors – not as a punishment, but an "action of protest".
"We feel that this has been an abuse of hospitality," Reverend King said.
Reverend Malcolm said: "It's a mourning for the actual objects, and what they symbolise for us, but also it's a mourning for what is happening in our society."
The church has not reported the missing icons to police and didn't plan to, hoping those who took them would return them.
"We're not wanting to charge anybody for having taken them," Reverend Malcom said. "Our hope is that it will provide a channel for a relationship with whoever took them and to help them understand how important these are to us."
The clergy wanted forgiveness and restoration.
"We're hoping that the spiritual value will be recognised and that we can have them back, and that might be an opportunity for some peace on both sides," Reverend Malcom said.
The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including Stuart Nash quits amid sexism storm, and Prince George turns 13. (Source: 1News)
SHARE ME