Maria Stein, Ohio – A month has passed since a massive fire severely damaged the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Maria Stein. Dayton is open 24/7. Gwyneth Falloon of Now spoke with Father Ken Schnipke to learn about the future plans for the Mercer County landmark.
“It’s heavy on my heart every time I drive by the church,” he told me.
Father Schnipke was reminded of the devastation that occurred four weeks ago.
“There’s a lot of history,” he explained. “There are a lot of connections that people have.”
It has been a month since St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Maria Stein caught fire, leaving the community and parish to pick up the pieces.
“The first process has been bringing in large cranes to move out heavier debris, a lot of timbers in there, and a lot of heavy equipment,” said Father Schnipke, the pastor. “It takes a lot of heavy equipment to lift those out and be able to access the sacred items that are still in the church.”
As a result of that work, sacred items such as vestments and the tabernacle have been saved.
“Those are the signs of hope that keep you going to the future, to know that there are some things that are more intact than what we thought,” said Father Schnipke to Father Falloon. “That helped to keep the sentimentality of the church and the sacredness of the church that we’ve known for generations.”
That is what keeps Father Schnipke optimistic, despite the significant amount of work that remains to be completed.
“The rectory suffered minor smoke damage and then flooding in the basement due to water from the church seeping into the basement. It is not appropriate for the priests to live there at this time. “They will be out for at least three to six months,” he stated. “It’s going to take us months to kind of get a general direction where we’re heading.”
A donation page has been set up for those who want to help with the restoration of St. John’s.
