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St. John the Baptist Church in Maria Stein took a huge step toward recovery when the holy tabernacle was saved from the brick shell of the church.
The holy tabernacle containing the blessed sacrament was found under a mound of rubble.
MARIA STEIN - Salvage crews made a major breakthrough at the fire-ravaged St. John the Baptist Church when they unearthed the holy tabernacle containing the blessed sacrament, a top priority amid recovery efforts.
After cranes lifted out charred timbers from inside of the structure, officials Wednesday afternoon discovered the tabernacle in the apse, the domed area of the church where the altar once stood, according to the Rev. Ken Schnipke, pastor of the Christ Our Light Family of Parishes.
"The blessed sacrament was still inside the tabernacle, unopened, so that's the most sacred part," Schnipke told The Daily Standard.
The ciborium that held the consecrated community hosts was retrieved from the tabernacle.
The consecrated communion hosts are considered to be the body of Christ by the Roman Catholic Church.
When church officials pried open the tabernacle, they found the seared Eucharist had congealed into a mass "that is still the real presence of Christ, but not recognizable as what we would normally see as the blessed sacrament," Schnipke explained.
Church officials have sought the guidance of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati to determine what to do with the Eucharist.
"What normally happens is you consume (the blessed sacrament), if you can," Schnipke said. "This we can't because of the toxins in it."
Hence, the Eucharist will either have to be burned or buried. Church officials are leaning in favor of the latter option.
"What we're planning on doing is … a burial of it somewhere either near St. John Church or in the cemetery, a place yet to be determined and then marked as 'the blessed sacrament … from the church fire, May 29, 2025,'" Schnipke said.
Until that happens, the Eucharist will remain in another tabernacle, "so it is properly cared for with a respect and reverence that it is due."
The tabernacle, Schnipke said, is intact, but fire-damaged. Church officials will need to confer with specialists to see if it can be restored.
Since salvage operations got underway, all three of the church's bells have been retrieved by cranes and several columns were removed from the interior due to safety concerns of them falling and causing additional damage, according to Schnipke.
There have been a number of smaller items retrieved from the church including vestments, sacred vessels, relics, holy oils, the sanctuary lamp, the advent candle stand, smaller statues and paintings.
Cranes lifted columns and large debris from inside the shell of St. John.
Fire investigators granted access to the interior church on Monday, allowing First Onsite, a company specializing in church restoration after fires and other disasters, to begin removing timbers and rubble.
"There's fire investigators working for both parties who have been investigating the church, and they've completed most of their on-site investigation," Schnipke said. "It's up to them to do determination of what happened."
Two large cranes were brought in to assist with the cleanup work.
"They started with the largest debris first because they've got to get that out of the way to get to the other things, and they're moving out a lot of the charred timbers," Schnipke said. "So they can access the Stations (of the Cross), and other sacred items in the church."
First Onsite was told that locating the tabernacle was of paramount importance.
"It was also in the area close to the origin of the fire, they believe, so that was restricted area until they were (finished) doing their investigations," Schnipke said. "After getting clearance to move in Monday and moving larger debris, they eventually yesterday afternoon were able to lift several large timbers and they found the tabernacle in the apse of the church."
The cranes will likely remain on site through today to extract larger items from the brick shell of the church.
"There's still several feet of debris in the church yet, but it's smaller stuff that will start to be carried out then," Schnipke said.
Scorched scaffolding and roofing materials still surround the shell of St. John.
The fire caused the roof to collapse in on the church and sent the spire crashing down in front of the church, one of the area's oldest houses of worship, dedicated in 1891.
With that said, the integrity of the walls and remaining structure seems intact, according to Schnipke.
Schnipke said it will take months to clear the debris, shore up walls where necessary and fully assess the structural integrity of the walls and remaining structure.
While it is far too early to know what the future may hold for St. John the Baptist Church, multiple scenarios are coming into focus.
"The church could be rebuilt as it was. Parts of the church could be reused with new parts built on," Schnipke wrote in an update posted on the Marion Catholic Community website. "The remaining structure could be razed and a new church built. The viability of each of these options may change as insurance settlement is determined and as the integrity of the remaining structure is assessed."
Schnipke said a committee will be assembled to map out future plans for the church.
Scorched scaffolding and roofing materials still surround the shell of St. John.
Archbishop Robert G. Casey approved an Archdiocese-wide special voluntary collection for St. John Church to be held through July 13. The Archdiocese comprises almost half a million Catholics living in the 19 counties of western and southwestern Ohio.
Christ Our Light Family of Parishes will hold a collection for St. John this weekend, Schnipke said.
Additionally, the Archdiocesan Stewardship Office has set up an online giving platform and will assist with gift processing, with all proceeds to flow back to St. John. To access the online donation portal, visit marioncatholiccommunity.org and click the St. John the Baptist Church Fire and Recovery page.
"The Archdiocese has been very good (to us)," Schnipke said.
The church is also accepting checks made to the St. John the Baptist Church Recovery Efforts and addressed to The Marion Catholic Community, 7428 State Route 119, Maria Stein, OH 45860.
The St. John Church will have an information table at the Maria Stein Country Fest running tonight through Sunday on the grounds of the Maria Stein Shrine.
"The collection taken up at the Country Fest Mass will be for St. John the Baptist Church recovery," he said.
Church officials are working on hosting a Fireman & First Responders prayer service and gathering, welcoming Archbishop Casey and St. John parishioners.
The event is scheduled for 1:30-3:30 p.m. Sunday, July 27, at St. John's south parking lot on State Route 119. The gathering will be held at Knights of St. John Hall.
"We are forever grateful to the firemen, first responders, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, FIRST ONSITE and all others who came to our aid as fire ravaged our beloved St. John the Baptist Church. May God bless and protect you in your dedication and service to others," the event posting reads.
Multiple fire departments and organizations descended on the site on May 29, including the state fire marshal's office, insurance representatives, structural engineers, restoration specialists and First Onsite.
The first 911 call for the structure fire came in at around 2:33 p.m. The last few aiding fire departments were released at around 9:30 p.m., but some Chickasaw firefighters remained on scene, watering down sporadic hot spots and investigating into the early morning the next day.
Scorched scaffolding and roofing materials still surround the shell of St. John.
