UPDATE Fire at St Mary Catholic Church in Franklin, Intentionally Set - Reward Offered for Help Finding the Arsonist

St. Mary Roman Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of Boston, within the Town of Franklin, Massachusetts, sustained damage from a fire on Wednesday. The Fire Department in Franklin, Massachusetts, released that on Wednesday, Oct. 23rd, Communications Center received a Fire Alarm from a central station monitoring company for Church Square followed by a caller reporting a fire at the back of St. Mary's Church. Fire units were dispatched quickly and the fire in the rear sacristy was quickly extinguished by the initial arriving crews. There was a significant amount of smoke throughout the entire Church. Personnel remained on scene for a period of time to ventilate the building. This fire is under investigation by the Franklin Fire Department, Franklin Police Department, The State Fire Marshal's Office, and the ATF. The historic parish was established in 1877, with the community origins from 1849. The cornerstone of the church building was laid in 1923, mentioned in the parish’s history timeline.  

UPDATE The Fire Dep. Released -The fire that damaged St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Franklin yesterday evening is being investigated as arson and investigators are asking for the public’s help, said Franklin Fire Chief James G. McLaughlin, Franklin Police Chief Thomas J. Lynch, and State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine.
“Houses of worship play a vital role in every community, and our hearts go out to everyone who made St. Mary’s a part of their lives,” said Chief McLaughlin. “We’re deeply relieved that no one was injured and that firefighters were able to contain the fire damage.”

“We’re asking anyone with information on this fire to share it with investigators,” said State Fire Marshal Davine. “Call the Arson Watch Reward Program at 1-800-682-9229. Tipsters can remain anonymous if they wish.”
The Arson Watch Reward Program is coordinated by the Massachusetts Property Insurance Underwriting Association and offers rewards of up to $5,000 for information that detects or prevents arson crimes. See: https://www.mass.gov/news/fire-in-franklin-church-being-investigated-as-arson

The parish wrote on their website:  Due to Fire Damage all Masses, Funerals, Baptisms and Parish Meetings are cancelled until further notice. The parish was about to hold a funeral Mass for the late Father John Sullivan, who died on Oct. 13 at the age of 76. The priest had served the parish since 2012 and retired in the spring but still resided at the church.

Catholic Vote has catalogued over 400 Attacks on U.S. Catholic Churches since May 2020.