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Parishioners of Holy Family Church in Little Falls are heading back to their own parish for this weekend's Masses, after a Nov. 20 fire necessitated holding liturgies at Ss. Anthony and Joseph parish in Herkimer temporarily.

The parishes are linked, so parishioners were familiar with their neighbors, but "a lot of people find it difficult to get down to Herkimer," noted Deacon James Bower, interim administrator.

Parishioners are grateful that Masses will now be offered in the church hall.

They're also grateful that the fire damage was mainly confined to a "work sacristy" off the main body of the church. That room was gutted.

The church itself sustained smoke damage and a slight amount of water damage, so it "has to be cleaned from top to bottom," said Deacon Bower, but the circa-1800 church was protected by its thick walls and heavy doors.

The administrator also credited Little Falls firefighters and several assisting fire departments that were able to put out the fire without further damaging the church.

Lost in the fire were many candles and Holy Family's seasonal decorations, plus 350 to 400 brand-new missalettes that were about to be placed in the pews for Advent.

The parish contacted Oregon Catholic Press, which prints the missalettes, to see about a discount on replacements, and the company supplied them free of charge.

"That was really generous of them," Deacon Bower told The Evangelist.

The damage to the church has been estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The cause of the fire is still undetermined; Catholic Mutual, the Albany Diocese's insurance company, was sending a forensic team to Holy Family Dec. 3 to investigate, and the local fire chief is also looking into the cause.

"Everybody feels the same way: that we were blessed that there was no damage to the church," Deacon Bower concluded.

The parish's goal is to be back to celebrating Masses in the church itself for Christmas Eve.[[In-content Ad]]

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