CV NEWS FEED // During the September 2 fire that burned the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Saint-Omer, France, the parish priest Fr. Sébastien Roussel entered the church to save the Blessed Sacrament. According to Actu Pas-de-Calais, the deputy mayor called Fr. Roussel at 4 a.m. to let him know the church was burning. According to an unofficial English translation of the report, Fr. Roussel said, “I went to the scene immediately. Everything caught fire very quickly; the bell tower burned like a torch…”....CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE FROM THE SOURCE
He entered the church with the firefighters’ permission. Fr. Roussel explained, “I wanted to evacuate the Blessed Sacrament (consecrated hosts) and the reliquary bust of Saint Cornelius,” and he successfully rescued the Eucharist and the relic from the fire. He was also able to save a few statues.
“I also wanted to move the Stations of the Cross, but I didn’t have time; the fire spread too quickly,” the priest continued. “But apparently, they weren’t too badly damaged, except perhaps by water.”
The church’s roof and spire were destroyed during the fire, Franc Bleu reports, but there were no casualties. The cause of the fire is unknown.
Fifty-seven residents living near the church had to evacuate their homes.
According to Franc Bleu, one person, a part of a family of three who lived near the cathedral and first raised the alarm, recounted, “While sleeping with the window open, we noticed a strange smell and called the firefighters. This rain of fire fell upon us—pieces of wood and ashes. I had to cover my son with a blanket because it was literally falling on us.” It was not specified in the report whether the father or mother was speaking.
A parishioner, who France Bleu identified as Édith, said, “I am emotional because it was my church. I am a believer, and I used to pray to the Virgin Mary there.” Édith lives across the street from the church.
“There was a beautiful grotto inside,” Édith added. “Whenever there was a small concern, I would go and light a candle. My daughters made their communion and baptism there; it’s a bit hard. I feel a bit alone now—I no longer have my church.”
Franc Bleu states that on September 4, the local bishop, Most Reverend Olivier Leborgne, will lead a prayer outside of the church, and offer Mass at the Basilica of Notre-Dame des Miracles.
