TWO ANSWERED PRAYERS — OR LARCENY?
Margaret Burke went to St. Jude’s Church daily for nine days in February 1984 to ask St. Jude, the saint of desperate causes, to help her keep her home. On the ninth day, Margaret spotted a plain, white envelope at the foot of the statue — which contained $10,000. Thinking it was the answer to her prayers, Burke took the envelope with the money, all in $100 bills. The money had actually come from a parishioner who had left the money as an anonymous tribute for past prayers answered. The police in Gates, New York said that the destitute woman thought her prayers were answered when she found the money in the shrine. She was charged with grand larceny in July, 1985, Police Investigator Jim Marasco said. The theft was discovered when the unidentified parishioner called the pastor of St. Jude’s later that day, police said. But it was not reported to the police until July 14, 1985,…
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