Prayers and support continue for St. Anne Parish

The sign in front of St. Anne Church in New Castle read “To remove worry wrinkles, get your faith lifted” on the morning of the Holy Saturday, April 7, fire that gutted the 83-year-old Henry County landmark. William L. Abbott of New Castle has been charged with arson.

By Mary Ann Wyand

“To remove worry wrinkles, get your faith lifted.”

That was the advice posted on the sign in front of St. Anne Church in New Castle on Holy Saturday, April 7, when an arson fire set during the early morning hours gutted the

83-year-old Henry County landmark.

A parish staff member had intended to change the message on the sign to an inspirational Easter greeting before the Holy Saturday Vigil Mass that night.

But as New Castle firefighters battled the blaze that destroyed the brick church for five hours on Holy Saturday morning and afternoon, the sign served as a silent reminder that faith and trust in God carries people through all kinds of tragedies.

Now the church sign features a thank you message for prayers and support.

Franciscan Sister Shirley Gerth, parish life coordinator of St. Anne Parish and St. Rose Parish in Knightstown, said last week that St. Anne parishioners will mark the three-month anniversary of the fire on July 7 with prayers of thanksgiving and gratitude for the continuing support from Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein, other archdiocesan officials, and so many people in central and southern Indiana.

“It has been three months since St. Anne Church was destroyed by fire,” Sister Shirley said, “and the donations continue to come from parishes and individuals throughout our archdiocese.”

She said St. Anne Parish has received $71,844 in donations from individuals and parishes in the archdiocese and Lafayette Diocese to help rebuild the church.

Demolition work was finished last week by employees of AACI Company Inc. based in Indianapolis, she said. The slate roof, interior ceilings, floors and plaster walls were removed, leaving only the brick and concrete shell.

“They have literally stripped the church of all the debris,” Sister Shirley said. “When they went to take down the Way of the Cross, the stations just crumbled because they were [made of] plaster.”

Last week, workers removed the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue, Blessed Mother statue and St. Anthony statue from the church as well as statues of Mary and St. Bernadette in the grotto, she said. The statues were cleaned and stored by Miller-Wearly Monuments in New Castle.

“It looks so bare in the church,” Sister Shirley said. “I would go in every other day after the workers left the premises to see the progress. It was difficult.”

Pieces of the stained-glass windows will be made into small crosses, she said, and sold to raise funds for the new church.

“We were able to salvage stained-glass pieces,” she said. “We’re excited about that. I think our parishioners will be happy to have a piece of the stained-glass.

“Probably the most asked question is ‘Will you be able to use the exterior?’ ” she said. “We hope—I don’t know how long it will take—maybe by the end of July, to have that answer. People continue to come by and stop and look and take pictures. We have visitors at our Masses [in the basement of the Parish Center]. Some knew about the fire, and some came and saw [the gutted church] for the first time.”

Sister Shirley said the Mass of Christian Burial for parishioners is celebrated at area funeral homes and nearby parishes have offered their churches for weddings.

“I think we are experiencing healing in bits and pieces,” she said, “and also a greater sense of unity among the parishioners. One thing that has helped has been to try to keep them as informed as possible, which we do at the weekend Masses and through the bulletin.”

She said parishioners recite their “Rebuild My Church” prayer during every Mass.

“Part of that prayer calls for a greater vision and also a greater sense of unity,” she said. “I stressed—before we started praying the prayer—that no matter what direction we go in or how we rebuild, the important thing is that we are united.”

In a letter of thanks, Sister Shirley explained that “St. Anne parishioners have experienced what it means to belong to the Church of central and southern Indiana. We know that, as important as St. Anne Parish is, we are one among many and together we are the Body of Christ.

“And so we speak the sacred words ‘thank you’ to Archbishop Buechlein for his compassionate presence to us, and to all our brothers and sisters throughout the archdiocese,” she wrote. “Thank you for your prayers, for your words of hope and encouragement, and for your donations.”

Members of the Connersville Deanery parish “recognize the gift we have received from you,” Sister Shirley said, “and we remember and pray for you at our weekend Masses. You have been a blessing to St. Anne parishioners and to me. May God continue to speak a word of goodness through you.”

Msgr. Joseph F. Schaedel, vicar general and director of the archdiocesan Mission Office, which is processing donations for the parish, said “the generosity of so many in this hour of tragedy has been wonderful.”

(Donations should be addressed to St. Anne Parish and sent to the archdiocesan Mission Office, P.O. Box 1410, Indianapolis, IN 46206.) †