Workers clean up after a 1 am fire was spotted by a motorist driving by Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Fairfield, Conn. Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. Inside charred and scorched devotional candle rack is the probable cause. (Photos by Douglas Healey).
FAIRFIELD—Father Peter Cipriani, pastor of Our Lady of Assumption Parish, has issued an announcement in the parish bulletin to keep parishioners aware of the unfolding situation after a fire broke out early last Sunday morning. It took 31 firefighters about 45 minutes to contain the fire, according to authorities.
In a Facebook update on Tuesday following the fire, Father Cipriani assured parishioners that “cleanup and repairs are underway in earnest” and that much of the fire damage was confined to the side area of the church called the “niche.”
In the meantime, the church will continue to hold its Masses in the parish hall until all the repairs have been made.
In his Facebook posting, Father shared a statue of Mary that was charred in the fire but still retained its shape.
“We are reminded that the Church is more than a structure…it is the Living Body of Jesus Christ of which we are all part,” he said. “Certainly statues can be replaced. Let us not lose sight of the greater reality of the Church.”
Luckily, the damage is likely repairable, but Father expressed that the smoke damage comprises the major extent of the cleaning.
The pastor is hopeful that any repairs needed will be completed before Christmas.
Addressing parishioners before Mass that Sunday, Father said, “This is just a bump in the road and it is a situation that I can assure you, although rather on the sad side, is certainly very manageable.”
“This is just one more reason for us to just gather together and to get closer as an extended parish family under Our Lady. I can assure you that things are definitely manageable at this point,” he continued.
Father Cipriani thanked parishioners for their outpouring of support and concern. He expressed his sincere appreciation for how readily the congregation stepped up and offered their help in any way they could.
By Elizabeth Clyons
(Photos courtesy of Douglas Healey, a local photographer.)
