#BreakingNews Police Arrest Suspect in St. Joseph Catholic Church Fire which Destroyed the Sanctuary in Salem, Oregon



On Thursday, August 31st, a large fire broke out at a beautiful Catholic Church in Salem, Oregon. St. Joseph's Catholic Church was badly damaged and their sanctuary destroyed. The parish serves about 3,500 parishioners. Police investigated and found that it was arson. They arrested, Billy J. Sweeten, 48, he was booked into Marion County Jail Wednesday on accusations of first-degree arson, the jail’s roster showed.

On their Facebook Page, St. Joseph's Church wrote: It is with great sorrow to announce that there is a fire at Saint Joseph last night. We are still gathering information.

The fire continues inside the church but is contained to the church. A great blessing is that as far as we know no one was hurt. We will have more information soon, but we are asking for prayers at this time.

St. Joseph's Catholic Church wrote:
Thank you everyone for the prayers! We hope to find out tomorrow, our plan for holding Masses for our community. We would like to remind everyone that the Church building is not safe at this point. Please do not try to go past the barriers that were put up today. Not only is there danger from falling debris, there is also danger from the fire suppressant and refuse on the the ground. At this time the adoration chapel is closed. Thank you for your cooperation and support during this difficult time. Thank you!

The Archdiocese of Portland wrote:

More than 300 people gathered for Mass with Archbishop Sample in the rain-soaked parking lot at St. Joseph Parish / Iglesia de San Jose in Salem following the devastating fire that broke out early this morning. In his homily, the Archbishop expressed his joy at seeing the outpouring of support from the community. He reminded the crowd huddling under umbrellas and tents that the fire may have burned the building, but the Church is her people, and we are intact and thriving!
Donations can be made to the St. Joseph Fire Relief Fund. Thank you for your support and your prayers.
https://ow.ly/NPNq50PGzE2

Comments

Post a Comment