Parishioners to honor St. John first responders

The Christ our Light Family of Parishes will hold a prayer service and thank-you event Sunday to show appreciation to firefighters and other first responders who helped at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church during a massive fire May 29.

The special event, called "Firemen & First Responders Thank You," is set for 1:30 p.m. July 27 at the south parking lot at St. John, located at 8533 State Route 119 in Maria Stein. After the prayer service at the church, a social gathering will be held at Knights of St. John Hall, 8608 State Route 119.

The gathering will "honor the firefighters and first responders who courageously responded to the recent fire at St. John the Baptist Church on May 29, and who continue to support the parish and community throughout the recovery process," according to an announcement from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati sent out this week.

"The event will bring together parish leaders, parishioners, and first responders in a spirit of prayer, gratitude, and unity," the announcement added.

The event will include public remarks from Rev. Ken Schnipke, pastor of Christ our Light Family of Parishes, which includes St. John the Baptist Parish, as well as the reading of a letter from Archbishop Robert G. Casey expressing his support. Attendees can also expect an update on the recovery and restoration efforts currently underway at St. John.

Multiple fire departments descended on the site on May 29 after a fire call came in around 2:30 p.m. The massive blaze caused the roof to collapse in on the church and eventually sent its spire crashing down. Fire crews were on the scene for as much as seven hours, with members of the Chickasaw Fire Department remaining throughout the night to watch for hot spots and begin investigations.

Schnipke has said it will take months to clear the debris, shore up walls where necessary and fully assess the structural integrity of the remaining walls and structure. A committee is being assembled to map out future plans for the church.

Since salvage operations got underway, many items have been retrieved from inside the burned out structure, including the church's tabernacle, baptismal font, vestments, the processional cross, candlesticks, the sanctuary lamp, the advent candle stand, smaller statues and paintings.

Fire investigators completed onsite inspections June 20, but determinations of origin and cause of the fire are still pending.

For the latest information about the recovery efforts visit: https://www.marioncatholiccommunity.org/st-john-recovery-blog.