Part of Cross Is Stolen at Boston Church; Believed to Be Cross of Jesus' Crucifixion

A small piece of wood venerated by Catholics as a fragment of the cross on which Jesus was crucified has been stolen from the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston, Massachusetts, according to the Boston Globe today (July 13, 2010).

The relic -- one of the oldest and most treasured possessions of the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston -- was stolen between June 30 and July 1, according to a police report.

"We are deeply troubled that this sacred relic was stolen, and we pray for those responsible," the Rev. Kevin O'Leary, rector of the cathedral, said yesterday.

The relic arrived in Boston in the late 18th century, a gift to a French missionary priest -- the Rev. Jean-Louis Lefebvre de Cheverus -- who later became the first bishop of Boston.