Service to Mark Arson at Church Last Year
Parishioners of St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church will hold a memorial prayer service tonight marking the first anniversary of a fire that destroyed their 50-year-old sanctuary.
Investigators declared the fire to be the result of arson, but no suspects have been identified.
The blaze was the second arson incident at the church, a smaller blaze in May 2000 having caused $7,500 in damage to the church school.
Today’s 7 p.m. service, which will include Scripture readings in four languages, will start in temporary facilities on the property. Priests will then lead a candlelight procession around the church’s ruins.
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