NY Post – January 05, 2015
by Reuven Fenton
Flames tore through a Catholic church in Queens early Sunday, stunning parishioners who showed up for Mass only to find their house of worship on fire.
Firefighters got the call at 5:45 a.m. and rushed to Our Lady of Sorrows at 104-11 37th Ave. in Corona, officials said.
It took 106 of New York’s Bravest to bring the 2-alarm blaze under control by 7:39 a.m. The church tower clock survived the fire, but was frozen at 5:50 a.m.
“I’m in shock. I’m in shock,” said a tearful Rev. Thomas Healy, looking out at his saddened congregation.
“Look at these people. They’re wonderful people. This is their home. We’re an immigrant parish. They have nothing, but they have the church, they have Jesus, they have the mother of Jesus our lady, and this is their home. This is my home. I’m here 24 years.”
Dozens of worshippers broke down in tears when they arrived to see the devastation.
“We will rebuild,” worshipper Miguel Calle vowed. “Maybe not this month but we will rebuild.”
The fire apparently started in a balcony near church organs, and early-arriving worshippers were the ones who saw flames and called 911, according to battalion chief James Doherty. “They wanted to come to Mass (on) Sunday morning and now, unfortunately, there’s no Mass,” Doherty said.
The congregation was all set to celebrate Little Christmas, a Catholic celebration marking the end of the Christmas season.
Between 700 and 800 children from Our Lady of Sorrows were set to gather under a Christmas tree to receive presents between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.
“They had the tree all set up with lights for the children,” said parrionersher Janet Dominguez, 58. “This is terrible. This has been my church for 38 years. My son comes here, my nephew, all my family comes here.”
Between 11,000 and 12,000 worshippers regularly come to Our Lady of Sorrows for eight services throughout each Sunday.
“When I got here, all I could see were huge flames coming out of the roof and the fire department was here,” Calle said.
“This was my church all my life. I’ve been part of the ministry for 22 years. It’s like coming back to your home and it’s on fire and there’s nothing to do about it. This church is part of my heart.”
Additional reporting by David K. Li
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