Avondale church severely damaged in devastating fire

Parish priest Fr Andrew Matthew said he heard the sound of popping windows at the church in the early hours of the morning.

“When I looked out the window [of the presbytery] all I could see was a sea of red flames. It’s a real shock,” he said.

Fr Matthew called emergency services, but could see that the building was lost.

“Our poor church was on fire. All I could do was watch and pray.”

Parishioners hugged and cried in front of the smouldering wreckage in the late morning.

While too early to make firm decisions, Fr Matthew said it was likely the parish would combine with another parish while decisions on replacing the church were made. He said the thriving parish had about 300 people attending each of three Sunday services.

Detective Senior Sergeant Rebecca Kirk, of Auckland City Crime Squad, said investigations into the suspicious fire were in the “very early stages”.

Auckland Catholic Diocese general manager James Van Schie said he wanted to thank Fire and Emergency for responding so quickly. At the fire’s peak, eight fire trucks were on the scene.

Mr Van Schie said the building is “a solid structure that was built in the late 1950s, but the brickwork has collapsed, the roof has melted, and it has been completely hollowed out”.

He said parents at St Mary’s Catholic School, which is next to the church, were asked to keep children home on July 14 on what was supposed to be their first day back after the holidays.

“Our priority today is making sure the site is safe.”

Mr Van Schie said the hundreds of parishioners who attended the weekend Masses would be “devastated”.

In a statement, Mr Van Schie said “the tragic loss of their beloved church is a great sadness for the Catholic community of St Mary’s Avondale. We extend our deepest aroha and prayers at this time.

“We are grateful to emergency services for their efforts and are working with the authorities to manage the situation safely,” he said.

“We thank the community for their support and ask for patience and understanding during this time.” 

Auckland Bishop Steve Lowe expressed gratitude that no lives had been lost, and that all parishioners and staff are safe. But he said it was a moment of great sadness for the St Mary’s community.

A Mass was celebrated at nearby Owairaka on the evening of July 14 for parishioners of St Mary’s and those who wanted to support them.

“Let us unite in prayer for Fr Andrew and the parishioners of St Mary’s, and for all those whose hearts are broken by this tragedy,” Bishop Lowe said.

Fire and Emergency Assistant Commander Phil Larcomb said they were called to Great North Rd just after 4am. The building was already severely damaged.

FULL STORY

St Mary’s priest recounts seeing his church ablaze (By David Fisher and Rachel Maher/New Zealand Herald)

Facebook (Catholic Diocese of Auckland)

RELATED STORY

‘Absolutely devastating’: Fire damages church at West Auckland school (1News)