I just got back from watching my church burn. Lightning struck the metal cross on the roof and it started a fire. It couldn’t be stopped by firefighters. It’s a total loss. I’ve been a member for 18 years.
They’ll supervise the burn over the weekend and try to keep it from spreading to other buildings. They expect the roof will collapse sometime tomorrow.
Marilyn and I will go over tomorrow and join a group of people that will set up a worship space in the gym.
Please keep our church community, St. Francis Xavier Church, Birmingham, Alabama in your prayers.
You and your family and your church family will be in my thoughts, prayers, and meditation’s. As soon as it settles down a bit, let us know how else we can help. We care.
My favorite meditation verse (or at least the part I use) is: “Be still and know that I am.” It brings comfort at times when I try to understand.
My condolences Dale, I’m sure you are facing a lot of mixed up emotions right now. I pray the Lord will comfort all of you.
I don’t know that it is any comfort, but I have always believed the church is not the building, but the people in it, and I trust none of them have been hurt.
Just got back from the church. I was able to walk through it before a nun chased me out (I wasn’t offended, she had the advantage of being correct that it was dangerous.) It’s hard to know whether it will be a total loss. I suspect it will be. Huge timbers from the very high ceilings crashed down during the night and buried the altar, demolished the grand piano. Water and smoke damage is extensive and it’s structurally unsound. I think the bulldozers will be running soon.
On the other hand, a hundred or so of us parishioners met this morning and quickly transformed the parish hall into a sanctuary, thanks to those wonderful plastic chairs, a portable altar, a generous florist, etc. So, mass will happen–tonight–on schedule. And, of course, the perspective is that even in our temporary space, we’ll have it better than many,many worshipers.
Also, a firefighter was injured last night when a large piece of roof fell on him. He’s in stable condition at a local hospital and we hear he is doing well.
Dale,
You and your whole parish family are in my and my parish family’s prayers. I remember a sign I saw years ago: “Church is what is left after the building has burned down”.
Dale, Just thinking of Isaiah, I think it’s 61, where the Lord promises that he will make a garment of praise out of our mourning, and “ashes will become a garland of joy”. I pray that ya’all will “raise the roof” in praise for mass in the days to come and that the Lord will be glorified in an awesome way. Bless you - Jan O’C
