Dear Friends of St. Alphonsus “Rock” Church,

As many of you have already heard, we suffered a five-alarm fire at our church on the evening of Thursday, August 16th, 2007. Our middle tower was struck by lightning. That ignited a fire on the roof of the building. The brave firefighters contained the fire, and only the roof and ceiling were burned. The inside of the church suffered major water damage, though the stained-glass windows and the marble altars were all undamaged. Thankfully, no one was injured or killed in the blaze.

We appreciate the many prayers and offers of support from so many of our beloved benefactors and friends. At this time the insurance adjusters and contractors are still calculating the damage, and working to secure the building for repairs. We do not know yet the cost of the repairs, or the scope of the insurance coverage. For those who would like to make a donation to our Restoration Fund, please use the Paypal technology on this webpage, or send a donation through the mail to our address. Checks can be made out to the parish, with “Restoration Fund” written in the memo section.

We appreciate very much the love and prayers of so many people that have connections and fond memories of The Rock Church. Let me assure you that our building will be restored/rebuilt to once again be a beacon of hope to our community, and a place of devotion and worship. The shrine of our Mother of Perpetual Help was undamaged by the fire, and the icon is safe. We look forward to the day we will reopen our doors to call our community to worship in our beautiful and historic church building. As we take major steps restore our church, we will try to keep you informed by way of our webpage. Thank you again for all the love and support that our friends have offered to us in our time of need. God bless all the friends and benefactors of St. Alphonsus “Rock” Church!

Sincerely,

Fr. Matthew S Bonk, C.Ss.R.
Pastor of St. Alphonsus Parish