"St. Anthony is the patron saint of travelers and lost things but today he's also the honorary saint of the Long Beach Police Department," said the pastor, the Rev. Jose Magana said.
Police recovered the relic of St. Anthony of Padua at the home of Maria Solis, 41, who was arrested on suspicion of commercial burglary, Long Beach Deputy Police Chief Robert Luna said.
Parishioners applauded when a police officer placed the delicate gold and silver reliquary containing a tiny shard of bone on a table at the news conference in front of the church.
Magana credited both his flock's prayers and the hard work of investigators for the return of the cherished relic.
"He just wanted to come home because it belongs to everyone," Magana said, noting that the relic and its casing appeared to be undamaged.
Luna said detectives canvassed the neighborhood with a composite sketch of a person of interest who was seen at five Masses the day before the theft.
Investigators found video surveillance tape that captured her walking to St. Anthony Catholic Church on Monday, the day of the theft, and the day before, he said.
Detectives said they found the relic displayed in her living room of her home, about a mile from the church, Luna said.
After a press conference on the steps of the church, Magana carried the delicate gold reliquary inside the church under the watchful eyes of a police officer. He led a prayer of gratitude for about three dozen people in English and Spanish.
Parishioner Roxana Navichoque, 22, said she couldn't fathom why someone would steal from a church.
