2 former security guards accused of stealing from Holy Name Cathedral

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago police have arrested two former security guards accused of stealing from Holy Name Cathedral.

The two men were arrested Sunday and charged in a case which has deeply troubled parishioners.

Artemio Calderon, 25, from the Back of the Yards neighborhood and 22-year-old Jarrell Patterson from the Chatham neighborhood each face one felony count of burglary of a place of worship. Police said both men had access to a key that they used to get into a safe.

The suspects worked for Monterrey Security, a company based near the Pilsen neighborhood offering private security services to places like Soldier Field and Navy Pier. A source told ABC7 that the church officials are in the process of hiring a new security company.

Holy Name Cathedral noticed it was missing money from its collections, collected in a basket and passed around at Mass. The donations were then sealed into a bag and locked in a safe before being deposited into a bank. Up to $100,000 was taken.

The iconic church on State and Superior says it has video surveillance footage of two different men trespassing. They could be seen coming and going from church offices in March and April. It sparked church officials to launch an audit of the money coming in.

Parishioners who came to Mass Monday morning were disappointed, yet forgiving.

"Our pope asks us to forgive and our pope asks us to pray for people who have evil in their heart and do that for the church. It is disappointing, but the disappointment has to be alleviated by our own forgiveness," said Eileen Quinn Knight, a parishioner.

"To find out that the security guards were the ones who were ripping us off...yeah that's a little disconcerting, but I'm glad they caught them," said Will Wilson, another parishioner.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Monterrey Security said, "This is the first time in our 18 year history that a former employee has been arrested for such an incident, which we take very seriously. We are greatly saddened that the Holy Name community is experiencing this situation and are hopeful that those responsible for this crime will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. We also remain committed to working closely with communities of need to fill thousands of positions for our company serving clients across the Chicagoland area and providing exceptional security and event services to the millions of people we are responsible for at events each year."

In response to Holy Name terminating its contract with Monterrey, the company said, "We respect their decision."

Both men are expected to be in central bond court later Monday.