A beloved and historic church in Queens caught hearth simply hours earlier than Easter companies, prompting its parishioners to discover a new church to rejoice the Sunday festivities.
The pews of St. Edmund’s Church in Breezy Level are charred and caked in particles after a 3-alarm hearth engulfed the again of the church simply earlier than 2 p.m. Saturday. Greater than 100 firefighters, together with volunteers, rushed towards the church to place of the flames.
Two firefighters suffered minor accidents.
That is an outdated constructing. From the historical past textbooks it is 100 years outdated,” Tommy Nestor stated. Years earlier than he joined the FDNY, Nestor took Sunday college lessons at St. Edmund’s Church.
Some relics have been saved within the hearth, like an ornate statue of Jesus. Different gadgets of deep significance, just like the priest’s chair, have been charred past recognition.
“Our hearts are heavy for this sacred space has been a home of faith, prayer, and sacraments for so many. Please join me in praying for the parish community,” Bishop Robert Brennan of the Diocese of Brooklyn stated in a press release.
As a result of hearth, Bishop Brennan moved Easter Mass to St. Thomas Extra Church on Rockaway Level Boulevard.
The FDNY remains to be investigating the reason for the hearth.
