The fire that destroyed St. Mary’s Church in the small town of
People who didn’t grow up in a small town might not be able to fully comprehend the loss of a church like St. Mary’s to the people within it’s community. In a small town….residents have a post office…a gas station….and their church. Those 3 entities become a part of their life…just like kids and friends…because those 3 places are where people intermingle…swap stories about their kids…their wives…their life adventures and so on. The post office…gas station…and church are the lifeblood of small towns….the “pulse” of that communities heart. That’s why there’s so much outrage over closing rural post offices across the nation….because in essence….the heart is being ripped out of these small communities. The same goes for St. Mary’s Church.
The first public speaking I ever did took place in that church. I was an alter boy….8 years old…and the reader for that nights mass didn’t show up. I remember the priest wondering aloud what he was going to do. That’s when I looked at him and said “Father….I’ll do it.” Father Borosh just smiled and said “Thank you David. And you will do well.” It’s the place where I peered from the alter at my now deceased grandmother smiling at me. The place where I attended weddings….birthdays….and other community gatherings.
So when I heard this church burned to the ground…..my heart ached. I had lost a friend….a family member….and a treasure trove of memories in the span of 2 hours and 25 minutes. Decades of memories and warmth lost to the flames. Some gawkers will go by to look at the ruins and see what remains of a building. To those who called that church home…we will look at the ashes as that of a fallen friend….one who can never be replaced nor forgotten.
