MARIA STEIN, Ohio (WLIO) - A day after the fire at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, people returned to the beloved Maria Stein church to begin sifting through the pieces. The Archdiocese of Cincinnati and a team of inspectors traveled up to Mercer County for an assessment on what part of the 19th century church can be saved.
"The on-site restoration group does think that the walls seem sounds, so the evidence that the roof collapsed straight into the nave of the church and that the steeple fell off to the south of the church- they think the walls may be still stable. So they are still assessing the building, and at this point, they also want to remove the bells from the building. They don't want them to fall into the building and damage it further," says Jennifer Schack, director of media relations for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati and a team of inspectors traveled up to Mercer County for an assessment on what part of the 19th century church can be saved.
As the inspection team worked, church members came back out to process what happened Thursday afternoon while also sharing their personal stories at St. John.
"Well, all of our kids have been baptized here. They made their confirmations here, first communions. We live in the back of the church so walking out the front door... It was just kind of surreal seeing it on fire, and we go to mass every weekend here," says Sandy Ranly, member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church.
"I was an altar boy here. Going into this room on the west side back there to put my cassock and all that stuff on. I did an anniversary mass for father parr- I know I was there for that, but my parents' funerals were both in this church... My grandparents... Lot of memories here," says John Heinl.
And while the building suffered severe damage, the faith of a bright future remains strong.
As the inspection team worked, church members came back out to process what happened Thursday afternoon while also sharing their personal stories at St. John.
"We have a great community. We have a great support system around here. The people come together like we always do in tough times. Even through tough times, god is on your side and he will always win. The building is not here but we're still here as a family," Ranly adds.
"God's still here and the people in this community will put it back together. There's always a brighter tomorrow," Heinl adds.
In the meantime, St. John the Baptist masses will move to Precious Blood Catholic Church in Chickasaw as church leaders go through the recovery process day-by-day.
