God'll Get You for That

I'd hate to have to explain this to St. Peter:

Talk about a lack of piety. Long Island cops say they've caught a woman robbing congregants during church.

Patricia Adams saw an opportunity during services at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church – and it wasn't for worship. While a devout parishioner knelt down in prayer, the 46-year-old learned over a church pew and stole cash from her purse, police said. An usher saw her do it and called the cops.

Cops arrested Adams as she left the church yesterday morning. They recovered the stolen goods and returned them to the unsuspecting victim.

This wasn't the first time Adams lifted money off a hapless worshipper, however. In May, the Westbury woman jacked cash from a purse left on a pew by a woman who was receiving communion, cops said.

This happens more often than you'd think. I used to have a client who had a problem like this one Sunday morning. The choir was in the sanctuary for the service, but the ladies had left their purses in the choir room. Somebody got in there and cleaned them all out.