[Article updated Sept. 8, 2020]

By Andrew Ehrkamp, Grandin Media

[EDMONTON – Canadian Catholic News] – From the outside you can see some fire damage to the roof at Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples, but inside the aftermath of the blaze – debris and ash covering the floor – is even more heartbreaking.

“At first it feels like a punch in the stomach. It’s emotional,” Fr. Mark Blom, OMI, the associate pastor, said on a walk through the inner-city Edmonton church following the devastating Aug. 30 fire.

“I’ve noticed people who drive by who want to kind of look and see what’s happening, you can tell they are very close to tears. It hurts,” Blom added. “And the first thing we do is validate their emotions. We validate their feelings. And then we just remind them no one was hurt. No one caused this fire on purpose. We have insurance. We’ll be able to rebuild.”

Edmonton Fire Rescue has determined that the fire was accidental. Smouldering sage and ashes from a traditional smudging ceremony was the cause.

In a Sept.1 news release, investigators said the fire began on the ground floor of the church and spread to the walls and ceiling. Fire department spokesperson Brittany Lewchuk said ashes were improperly discarded into a metal coffee can on a counter in a corner of a work room.

The Archdiocese of Edmonton says it will do whatever it takes to restore Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples. In the meantime, Sunday Masses will continue in a different location, which will be announced on Sept. 5 on the parish’s website and Facebook page.

The damage to the church is estimated at $300,000. But for the parish community, and its spiritual leaders, the toll is priceless.

“We are often reminding people that the true church is not the building, it’s the people of God,” Blom said. “However we become very attached to our buildings. The power of our religious affections rests upon the sacred art, the sacred place where we pray.”

Fr. Mark Blom recalled he was napping at the rectory when he heard the church smoke alarm around 2 p.m.

“I got up and saw out the window a fire truck with a hose going in the church, so I said ‘My church is on fire!’,” Father Blom recalled. “The fire was quite difficult to put out because the fire had gotten in between the ceiling and exterior roof. There must have been 60, 70 firefighters on scene here, nine fire trucks, a lot of activity, firemen going in and then coming out and then others taking their place in shifts. And then other firefighters replacing the air tanks right away. It was like a great relay.”

“It took quite a while for the fire to be extinguished,” Father Blom said. “We could see the smoke emerging from the vents that are around the main roof of the parish church.”

Only one piece of artwork was lost in the fire, the first of the 14 Stations of the Cross – “Jesus is condemned to death” – painted on the church wall opposite to where the fire was burning. All the other sacred art, statues and furniture remain intact.

“They would not let us in. The building was filled with noxious smoke, and when the fire was out, the first thing we did was retrieve the Blessed Sacrament.”

The Blessed Sacrament was not in danger of fire or water damage, Blom said.

“One of our parishioners retrieved the sacred books, the lectionary and the sacramentary. He kind of snuck in and saved those books. When people came for Mass at 7 p.m. I was out on the street meeting them and doing a little Communion service right on the street.”

The downtown Edmonton church, was built in 1913, making it among the oldest Catholic churches in the city. In 1991 Archbishop Joseph MacNeil designated it as a national parish for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people, meaning that anyone with Indigenous ancestry is considered a parishioner. It was the first of its kind in Canada.

In spite of the fire, the archdiocese says it will take the next steps to restore the church as it did after a devastating fire in 1966.

While the fire was devastating, it also demonstrates the resilience of the community, Blom said.

“We’re very grateful that nobody was hurt and we’re also grateful that we have insurance, that we have a fire department, that we have the Archdiocese and all the other relationships that serve us here in Edmonton, all the people who have wished their support, their prayers, their financial offerings.”

“It’s a challenge,”  Blom added. “We’ll have to work hard on this and when we’re finished we’ll have a newer church and we’ll have a stronger community as well. This is not just about loss, but it’s also about how we restore things together in Christ.”

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Earlier article:

Fire rips through First Nations church in Edmonton

By Andrew Ehrkamp, Grandin Media

[EDMONTON – Canadian Catholic News] – The Archdiocese of Edmonton says it will do whatever it takes to restore Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples after a devastating fire tore through the rear of the building.

“Thanks be to God there’s nobody hurt. What we have is damage to a building and buildings can be repaired. This building in particular symbolically is associated with First Nations people and many hearts will be crushed to see this and hear about,” Archbishop Richard Smith said at the fire scene.

“But we as a community, we as an Archdiocese, we’re going to walk with the parish every step of the way, whatever that means and whatever it takes just to make sure this is eventually restored.”

Investigators say the Aug. 30 fire started shortly after 2 p.m. inside the church on the rear east side. The church was empty and no one was injured. The cause is under investigation.

“We’re still just ruling stuff out. The guys are still fighting fire right now,” said Barry Fielden, an investigator with Edmonton Fire Rescue. “Everyone’s safe and crews are doing their best to get it out.”

Fielden said about six or seven fire trucks, with approximately 30 firefighters, were on scene.

Sunday Mass was held at 10 a.m. that morning, followed by a First Nations Mass at 11:30 p.m., which as usual included a traditional smudging ceremony in which herbs are burned, followed by a 1 p.m. baptism.

Forty minutes later, Rev. Susai Jesu – the pastor of Sacred Heart parish – was having lunch in the rectory next door when received a call from the fire department. When he arrived the church was fully engulfed, and firefighters were on scene.

“I saw huge fire and smoke. I was dumbfounded. I could not believe it was Sacred Heart church, the church I just came out of this place,” Father Jesu said. “In no time, there was a huge fire. I thought ‘Is it true? Am I really watching this?’. I’m just saying ‘Jesus, help us to stop this fire’.”

The downtown Edmonton church, was built in 1913, making it among the oldest Catholic churches in the city. In 1991 Archbishop Joseph MacNeil designated it as a national parish for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people, meaning that anyone with Indigenous ancestry is considered a parishioner. It was the first of its kind in Canada.

Sacred Heart church serves residents in the inner-city neighbourhood of McCauley, with a special focus on the poor and marginalized including providing free food and clothing. Those who rely on the parish will have to find other resources temporarily.

“Thanks be to God we have a lot of outreach agencies in this part of the city,” Archbishop Smith said. “The people that would come here for help, they’ll also know where else that they can go. And I know those agencies will rally to cover any gaps.”

Sacred Heart parish is a unique community where the Catholic faith is expressed in the context of Indigenous culture. It houses many unique pieces of a sacred art created by Indigenous artisans, and recently underwent extensive repairs and renovation.

The fire is a “tragedy”, said George Dumont is a longtime parishioner at Sacred Heart Church.
Dumont said Sacred Heart church allows him to pray publicly in Cree, a right he didn’t have growing up.

“It’s always been special to me to come here,” said Dumont, who has been involved in the parish for more than five decades.

“A lot of us First Nations people come here and we get to see each other and honour together. That’s what I like about it.

“I’ve watched a lot of places that have burned and there’s a lot of damage here. I’m thinking ‘Well geez, they’re not going to have Mass there for a year’,” Dumont said. “They’re going to have to get that all fixed up and all that. Where the parishioners are going to go I don’t know? That would be my concern.”

The church will be closed as investigators determine the cause of the fire.

“You can see that the damage is pretty extensive,” Archbishop Smith said. “It’s here at the back of the church where a lot of the supplies are kept and so on. No one is allowed inside at this stage, so no idea how extensive this damage is.

“I can expect that even if flames were confined to this area, there’s going to be smoke damage. There will be water damage. We’re at the stage now of just waiting to see what the extent is.”

In spite of the fire, the Archdiocese says it will take the next steps to restore the church as it did after a fire in 1959.

“We recovered from that and we’re going to recover from this one too,” Archbishop Smith said.

“We have to be dialogue obviously with our insurers and see what that is and get it covered and, whatever it takes, make it happen. This church is just too, too important in so many ways. We’ll do what needs to be done in order to restore it.”

 

 

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