MONROE, N.C. — Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe, North Carolina reopened Sunday after a massive fire damaged parts of the building one week earlier.
Many people gathered on Sunday morning for a 10 a.m. service to see what was left of the church since the fire.
The pastor spoke about the impact and recovery from the fire at the outside service. The church also live-streamed the service on its Facebook page.
The fire destroyed the church office and damaged the chapel as well as the former rectory where Diocese of Charlotte Bishop Peter Jugis served before he became bishop in 2003.
“It’s heartbreaking to see the damage done to a sacred place that has meant so much to people for the past 75 years," Bishop Jugis said in a statement first provided to the Catholic News Herald. "I have many fond memories of serving as pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes. We’re committed to repairing the chapel and rebuilding the office for this growing parish.”
Church officials confirmed that no one was at the church when the fire broke out.
