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Police Searching For Church Burglar

BOSTON (CBS) -- Saint Anthony is the patron saint of lost things, and now one church is counting on him to help return something of their own.

Surveillance footage captured a man stealing an electronic payment kiosk from the lobby of Saint Anthony's Shrine, a Roman Catholic church on Arch Street early Friday morning.

"We have the video of him really tugging at this thing, these things are in the wall pretty hard. He pulled and pulled and pulled and finally pulled it off," Fr. Thomas E. Conway, Executive Director of Saint Anthony's Shrine, told WBZ-TV.

church burglar saint anthonys
Police are searching for this man in connection with a church burglary. (WBZ-TV)

The video shows a man wearing a baseball hat and a suit in the Saint Anthony's lobby. Conway said the man stole the kiosk, which parishioners use to make payments.

Both police and church officials are looking for the suspect.

church burglar
The burglar allegedly stole a kiosk like this one. (WBZ-TV)

Church officials say the burglary happened between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. on Friday.

Parishioners say they're shocked about the burglary.

church burglar saint anthony
Saint Anthony's Shrine. (WBZ-TV)

"I'm pretty surprised that somebody would burglarize a church or a shrine such as Saint Anthony's," one man said. "It's a pretty secure place, too, so I'm not too sure how that came about."

"It's very sad to think that somebody felt they needed to do something like that," another woman said. "The one thing I know about the shrine is its a very welcoming and forgiving place."

No arrests have been made in this case. Police are asking anyone with information to contact them.

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