DUNDALK – Looking out from an open door inside the Apostleship of the Sea building directly across from St. Rita Church, Father Kevin Mueller shook his head in disbelief as firefighters worked to extinguish a two-alarm fire that left a beloved parish building scarred and smoking on the afternoon of July 1.
With Baltimore County fire crews still directing hose streams from inside the bell tower to clear heat, smoke and gases, the priest focused on his parishioners.
“It’s a shock,” said Father Mueller, pastor of Our Lady of Hope in Dundalk, which includes St. Rita as a worship site. “There’s a lot of people here (for whom) this was their parish all their life. It’s going to be pretty devastating. Pray for them.”
The fire began around 2:30 p.m. While no one was injured, flames and water left visible damage to several parts of the building, including the reconciliation room, vestibule, downstairs restroom and the stairwell leading to the bell tower, according to the parish.
The fire was caused by a lightning strike during an afternoon storm that passed through Dundalk, according to Tom Alban, director of risk management for the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The lightning affected the electronics on the church’s bell system, which then overheated and caused the fire, he said.
Alban noted that parts of a vinyl-like coating that had been applied to the ceiling fell off during the fire and that there was some structural damage to the bell tower. He estimated that the total damages are more than $750,000.
“Repairs of this magnitude typically take 60 to 90 days,” Alban said, noting that the building was insured.
As emergency crews worked to contain the blaze, rains subsided for a time before dark clouds rolled in and a severe thunderstorm soaked onlookers and firefighters alike.
St. Rita had recently become part of Our Lady of Hope through the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Seek the City to Come pastoral planning initiative. The parish continued to offer one Sunday Mass at 10 a.m., typically drawing about 200 worshippers – both longtime parishioners and members from other Dundalk-area churches that closed during the initiative.
The fire has forced a relocation of St. Rita’s Mass to Our Lady of Hope, which also celebrates 8:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Sunday liturgies. Because the church building there lacks functioning air conditioning, all liturgies have been held in the parish school hall.
Caitlin Yeager, a lifelong St. Rita parishioner who helps care for the church grounds, witnessed the flames firsthand. She and a companion were driving near the church when they saw smoke pouring from the bell tower.
“It happened very quickly,” she said. “I grew up in this parish, and they’re my family. To see that happen, especially after going through all this stuff with the church closures, and we made it somehow to stay open, and now this. It’s hard.”
The fire stirred painful memories for some in the community. Andy Middleton, director of the Apostleship of the Sea ministry to workers at the nearby Port of Baltimore, recalled another major fire in the 1980s that the parish survived.
“This church is a part of the Dundalk community,” said Middleton, who grew up in Dundalk and was a parishioner of Sacred Heart of Mary in Graceland Park. “There’s that sense of loss and a sense of the unknown. Where do they go from here?”
Several officials from the Archdiocese of Baltimore were present to support parish leadership and assess the damage. In addition to Alban, they included Monsignor Jay O’Connor, episcopal vicar to the eastern vicariate; and Nolan McCoy, director of facilities and real estate management.
As emergency personnel packed up their gear after the fire was extinguished, Father Mueller picked up an ornamental door handle from the sidewalk that firefighters had cut off to gain entry to the church.
“We’ll want to save this,” the priest said.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated July 2 to provide additional information and confirm the cause of the fire.
Email George Matysek at gmatysek@CatholicReview.org
Also see: Hope rises from ashes for St. Rita parishioners
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