Church Gone, Worship Goes On

Gone is the altar, the organ, the tabernacle and the crucifix.

The fire that gutted the sanctuary of St. Philip Benizi in Fullerton last week destroyed the piano, the wooden pews, perhaps even the St. Philip statue, but not the spirit of countless parishioners who journeyed to Servite High School in Anaheim on Sunday to celebrate Mass and mourn the loss of their majestic brick church.

The congregation borrowed a crucifix, candles and potted plants for the makeshift services in the school auditorium. Father Ignatius M. Kissel wore a borrowed amice. There were no robes for the altar boys. Instead, the boys wore T-shirts and polo shirts, baggy shorts and tennis shoes.

“Now we really know what it feels like to be exiles,” Kissel told more than 200 people at the 10:30 a.m. service. Kissel, his fellow priests and hundreds of parishioners were still stunned three days after the blaze, which authorities believe was arson.

Investigators with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, already in Los Angeles for last week’s Democratic National Convention, concluded Sunday that the fire had been caused by an incendiary device but would not elaborate, citing the continuing investigation.

Several longtime members of St. Philip Benizi said they couldn’t believe anyone would be so cruel as to torch their church. They wanted to believe that the fire was instead caused by an electrical short or some other accident.

“This is just devastating,” said Kathy Glover, 42, of Fullerton. “I had my children baptized there. I just buried my mother there last year. It’s hard to imagine that anyone could destroy the Lord’s home.”

Filippo Panzera, 67, an usher who has attended services at St. Philip Benizi since 1967, said, “It was my home. It was my home away from home.”

Seven-year-old Danielle Brenes clung to her mother at the door to the dimly lit Servite auditorium. The darkness frightened Danielle, who had just that morning seen the remains of “her church” as her family drove to the high school.

“Mommy, I don’t want to go in there,” Danielle cried, hiding her freckled face in her mother’s waist.

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Older church members also wept Sunday. They embraced and raised their voices in song--and in faith that they will soon rebuild. A new church, this time with air-conditioning.

They hope to return to the charred church next week and hold services in the fellowship hall. They plan to salvage the statue of Mary, and wipe the soot from the blackened statue of Our Lady of Guadeloupe.

“We can overcome this difficulty if we stick together,” Kissel said. He said the Catholic Diocese of Orange County had insurance on the 42-year-old structure, at 235 S. Pine Drive, and will help pay to rebuild.

Evelyn Schultz of Fullerton plans to see the rebuilding through. Schultz is one of the founding members of St. Philip, which held its services in 1958 in a roller-skating rink while the church was being built. She was pregnant at the time, and named her son after the church’s patron saint, Philip.

“I said, if he grows as strong as the church, then he’ll be a good man. And he hasn’t disappointed,” Schultz said as she left Servite High School with her other son, David.

“The original members came from all parts of the United States. That’s what made us so close-knit--we were all strangers in California.”

Schultz worked to keep the tears at bay. It was difficult to describe the loss of a place that has meant so much for so many years.

“I feel like a big part of my life just went up in ashes,” Schultz said. “You don’t realize how much it means to you until something like this happens. You take it for granted, just like you take life for granted.”