Priest chases thief, recovers church money

[Dale_M]

“I said, ‘Hey, I’m going to go catch a thief,’” the Rev. Bill Hegedusich told startled congregants at St. Peter’s church on Capitol Hill as he bounded through the church door Sunday morning.

Hegedusich said the man had taken two bags of money, totaling about $125, from an unlocked safe.

The 48-year-old marathon runner, clad in his black shirt and white clerical collar, said he chased the man for about two blocks and yelled at him to return the money. The man threw one bag on the ground and kept running.

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081208/ap_on_re_us/odd_priest_chase;_ylt=ArdZzh5y6hPI2UzaIrDIILY7Xs8F

Fr. Hegedusich was ordained just two years ago.

Between 1996 and June 2001, when the Archdiocese accepted me, I would live in two different countries, get engaged and almost married and have to delay starting my studies for a year because I was unable to retire from the Air Force. Breaking off the engagement was extremely difficult and yet was the turning point in my discernment. While I loved my fiancée and we had a wonderful relationship, I “felt” being called elsewhere. I met with a priest to discuss what I was feeling and continued to pray and be open to where God was leading me. In Korea, I attended a Discernment Retreat hosted by two Army Chaplains and when I left the retreat, all the pieces fell into place and I knew that God was calling me.

adw.org/vocations/priest_today.asp#hagedusich

 

[ChristinaM]

Great story. The only thing that would have made it better is if the thief had dropped both bags in utter shock at having a priest in clerical collar chase him.