A capacity crowd attended Holycross Abbey in Co Tipperary yesterday for a service of thanksgiving to celebrate the return of two religious artefacts, including a purported relic of the true cross, which were stolen last year.
The mass was concelebrated by the Archbishop Dermot Clifford of Cashel and the Abbot of Roscrea.
A safe home has been created in the abbey for the artefacts to ensure that they never get stolen again, with a high-tech security system, including bulletproof glass with a central alarm, installed in an alcove of the cathedral.
Parish priest Fr Tom Breen thanked the congregation for their support and the Garda for recovering the relics, which were stolen by two men who broke into the abbey in October last year. They were recovered last month by gardaí during a search in the midlands.
