The devastating wildfires in L.A. have caused so much destruction, but there have been a few stories of individuals going above and beyond that demonstrate once more how inspiring human beings can be in difficult times, and the hope this gives to society. This was the case in a recent discovery made by a captain in the Los Angeles Fire Department, as reported by Angelus News.
Only four days after the Palisades fire reduced Corpus Christi Church to ashes, Captain Bryan Nassour uncovered a glimmer of hope amidst the devastation. Sifting through six feet of rubble in what was left of the sanctuary, he discovered the church’s tabernacle.
“The whole community has been decimated — it looks like a nuclear bomb has gone off and nothing is standing,” shared Nassour, who belongs to St. Francis de Sales Church in Sherman Oaks. His brother is a member of Corpus Christi, and many of Nassour’s friends worship there as well.
“My brother lost his home. I have close friends who lost everything but the shirts on their backs, and they belong to that church too. So, if I could save just one thing, let it be this, so they have something to believe in.”
A call to action
After a grueling night battling other fires, Nassour sat at his desk that Saturday morning, sipping coffee as he stared at the charred ruins of Corpus Christi from his station across the street. The sight compelled him to take action. He wanted to recover anything meaningful that might have survived — both to safeguard it from looters and to bring some comfort to the parish.
The destruction was staggering. Bricks, tiles, and debris filled the nave, creating towering piles of wreckage. Nassour crawled under door frames, stripped of their doors, to reach the sanctuary. Above him, a precarious steel frame stood where the roof had collapsed. The pews had been reduced to ash.
Amid all this devastation, the granite altar caught his eye. On it stood the solid brass tabernacle, crowned by a cross. To Nassour’s amazement, the Blessed Sacrament inside was unharmed.
The tabernacle was no small object. At more than 300 pounds, Nassour needed the assistance of his crew to move it to their station house.
“It was one of the most uplifting things,” he explained. “Not everyone is religious, but they saw that and they’re like, ‘This is awesome.’ We’re doing something — at least one thing — that we can salvage for the community.”
The overwhelmed parish priest
Getting in touch with Msgr. Liam Kidney of Corpus Christi proved challenging, but when Nassour finally reached him, the priest was overwhelmed. As Nassour recalled: “He was in utter disbelief.”
With Msgr. Kidney’s guidance, Nassour offered to search for other sacred items. He and his team located a crushed cabinet containing chalices and patens. Though these were badly damaged, they also recovered three containers of holy oil that had miraculously survived intact.
Reflecting on the tabernacle’s survival, Nassour noted:
“Talk to any firefighter. In any religious building, what usually survives is the cross and certain specific items that are highly religious, unless they’ve been specifically set on fire.”
The next step was transporting the tabernacle to safety. Gabe Sanchez, a retired FBI agent working with the archdiocese, took on the task with help from firefighters. Together, they managed to get the tabernacle into Sanchez’s car. It was then delivered to St. Monica Church, where Msgr. Kidney celebrated Mass for fire survivors the following day.
At the service, the tabernacle was placed on a table near the altar. Msgr. Kidney shared the story of its recovery, recounting Nassour’s call: “I have found this big gold box. What would you like me to do with it?”
The congregation, many of whom had lost their homes and belongings, responded with thunderous applause.
Unfortunately Captain Nassour wasn’t able to appreciate the delight of the congregation — he was already back on duty, fighting fires elsewhere. But his selfless actions left a lasting impact on a community searching for hope, showing that even in the face of overwhelming destruction, there are symbols of resilience and faith that endure.
