Gardai have charged a suspect after the church collection was stolen from a mass at St Eunan’s Cathedral in Letterkenny earlier today.
The undisclosed sum of money was gathered from two collections at today’s midday mass at the church.
The money was put together and stored in the sacristy of the church before it was to be counted and lodged in the bank.
However, a cheeky thief managed to get his way into the sacristy during the mass as a funeral was also taking place during the mass.
Locals spotted the thief at nearby Market Square and reported the incident to Gardai.
Local church-goer Rosaleen Doherty said she is outraged that somebody would carry out a robbery during mass.
“How low can you sink? I know plenty of people are struggling but if people need a few pound why don’t they just ask for it?
“I think to steal the mass collection money is a new low and I just can’t get my head around how somebody would do this.
“I do hope they are remorseful and leave the money back,” she said.
A spokesperson for the Garda Press Office confirmed a man had been arrested following an incident in Letterkenny.
The spokesperson said “Gardaí are investigating a theft that occurred at a premises in Letterkenny, County Donegal, at approximately 1pm on Sunday 14th April 2024.
Following Garda enquiries, man in his 40s was arrested as part of this investigation and detained at a Garda Station in County Donegal.
“He has since been charged and will appear in court at a later date.”
