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A French priest is making headlines for prioritizing the Eucharist when his church was burned. The fire caused severe damage to the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Saint-Omer, France, when it broke out on September 2, 2024, in the dead of night.
Catholic News Agency reports that the cause of the blaze is believed to be arson. A 39-year-old suspect was apprehended for allegedly breaking into the church and starting the fire at around 4 a.m. on Monday morning. It is said that the alleged arsonist has a history of attempting to start fires at places of worship.
Father Sébastien Roussel was contacted about the fire not long after the fire department reached the scene. Springing into action, Fr. Roussel immediately went to the church, where he found that the fire was spreading. He described to the French news outlet Actu Pas-de-Calais how “the bell tower burned like a torch ..."
He quickly sought and received permission from the fire team to enter the building and save what was most valuable. The church had no artworks deemed historic, but there was an even greater treasure housed within: the Eucharist.
Fr. Roussel said:
“There was no work classified as a historic monument or registered. But I wanted to evacuate the Blessed Sacrament (consecrated hosts)! And also the reliquary bust of St. Cornelius,” the priest explained.
The priest went on to say that he wanted to pull down the stations of the cross, but there was simply no time as the fire spread quickly. He did note that the stations survived with minimal fire damage, but they were damaged a bit from the water. The organ was also damaged beyond repair, but Fr. Roussel was thankful that many of the church’s stained glass windows sustained minimal damage.
While Fr. Roussel said he was hopeful that the church could be salvaged, he did note that it is likely that some of the lead in the stained glass windows had melted. This could lead to a cleanup effort similar to that after the Notre Dame de Paris fire, although on a smaller scale. He said it was too early to estimate the damages, but he suggested that it would most likely take years of reconstruction before it is back to its former glory.
