Lightning Suspected in Fire At St. James, Rockford
By Penny Wiegert, Editor
August 11, 2022
ROCKFORD—Early morning thunderstorms are blamed for a fire that broke out in Rockford’s oldest Catholic Church Aug. 8.
Although at press time, an official cause of the fire had not been released, firefighters on the scene suspected that lightning ignited the flames destroying the roof on the back quarter of the 136-year-old church building.
Kim Carlson, St. James Parish business manager said a neighbor reported a huge “bang” about 5:30 a.m. but it wasn’t until just before 7 a.m. that a passerby walking a dog smelled smoke at the west end of St. James Church and called police.
|
St. James’ Historic Remodels and Repairs
St. James Church was founded in 1853. The cornerstone for the current church was laid in 1861.
The building of the church was finished and dedicated Sept. 29, 1867. Over its long history the parish has undergone many phases of remodeling and repair. The basement of the church was excavated in 1946 to move the bodies of the former pastors buried there to the cemetery and make way for a new parish hall. The church entrance was extended to the sidewalk along North Second Street in 1953.
The church underwent repair, remodeling and redecoration In 1958 after a fire broke out in the basement of the church damaging the church and basement.
|
As the firefighters extended hoses and ladders to fight the flames, neighbors, parishioners, St. James staff and Bishop David Malloy gathered in the rain-soaked parking lot alongside the church to watch and pray.
Standing under an umbrella and watching in disbelief, Father Sarmiento said all he could think about was the long history of his parish and especially the people in that long history who had made St. James part of their lives.
“We just celebrated 169 years. Thinking about that, the community is so proud of the history, so many memories, traditions, history. It (St. James) is such an important part of the community, there are even parishioners who don’t live in the boundaries but this has always been their parish and they come here. I keep thinking about all that and them,” he said. “It is sad.”
It took fire crews about an hour to knock down the flames that destroyed part of the roof. Two ladders were then extended to position firemen on the roof to start “opening it up” to check for more flames and hot spots, ensuring that the fire was completely out.
Martha Muldowney of Rockford arrived to watch what was happening after she learned about the fire during morning Mass at another parish.
“I was devastated. I was at 8:30 a.m. church service at Holy Family. Father (David) Beauvais was the celebrant and he said at the beginning, ‘Please say prayers for St. James, it was struck by lightning,’ and we were all in shock. So after the service I came over here and I feel sick to see this going on. It’s part of family history. It’s part of the history of Rockford!” she said.
Muldowney shared that St. James is part of her family history because “My great-grandparents attended St. James, my grandfather met his future wife here when he was in WW I so my grandparents got married here, my parents got married here. I am one of five, we all made communion in this parish. It means a lot.”
Later in the morning, the Rockford Diocese issued a statement to local media and on its web site, explaining some of the next steps to be taken after the tragic fire.
The statement read, “The Diocese of Rockford is fully cooperating with the Rockford Fire Department as the Department completes its work to assess the stability of the church building and report its findings to the diocesan administration. As soon as it is possible and pending that report, the diocese will then conduct an assessment of the church’s interior.
“Insurance adjusters for the Diocese of Rockford were on scene this morning, and will assess the damage as soon as it is safe to do so. Determination on damages and the extent of the next steps to be taken in regard to any and all repairs will be made at that time.
“Information about alternative arrangements for Masses will be announced by St. James Parish Office,” the diocesan statement concluded.
It was later reported that three firefighters were transported to local hospitals for some non-life threatening injuries sustained early in the efforts to fight the 3 alarm fire.
“It’s quite a tragedy this morning but I sure wish to thank all of the fire department and the emergency people who are here and the great care that they have been taking for the church, for themselves, for everyone’s safety,” said Bishop Malloy as he watched the firefighters’ efforts.
“I am grateful to Father Sarmiento and to parishioners, some of whom are already turning out here. It’s good for us to be together even at a sad moment like this to commit ourselves to repair, renew and start again,” Bishop Malloy said.
The bishop also asked for continued prayers for the injured firefighters.
After the fire was put out, All Saints Catholic Academy, situated across the parking lot from St. James Parish was closed after losing electrical power. Details on the parish and school can be obtained from updates on their respective web sites and Facebook pages.
| Shop Religious items at HOLYART.COM |