Bells at St. Innocent Church, Olmsted Falls, stolen

For the second time in recent years, a Cleveland area parish of the Orthodox Church in America’s Diocese of the Midwest experienced a major theft.

A half-dozen years ago, thieves removed copper on Cleveland’s landmark Saint Theodosius Cathedral, including one of the cathedral’s domes.  The theft came as a result of rising copper prices.

On Sunday, August 26, a set of five large brass bells from Russia was stolen from Saint Innocent Church, shortly after services concluded.

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the bells, imported from Russia and weighing about 60 to 70 pounds each, were donated in memory of a parishioner’s late husband.  Archpriest Michael Butler, rector, reported that he saw the bells when he locked the church after Sunday services.  When the parish choir director stopped by the church in the early evening, he discovered that the bells were gone.

According to the Plain Dealer, police will probably begin their search for the bells at local scrap yards.

The number of thefts involving copper, brass, and other metals has markedly increased in recent years, as metal values have risen substantially.