Johnnette with Women of Grace members in October, 2011

January 11, 2014 was supposed to be a big day for the Women of Grace® group meeting at St. Luke the Evangelist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. They were going to celebrate the conclusion of the study with a festive final meeting complete with goodies and certificates for all – but God had other plans.

At 2:00 a.m. that morning, Jason Terrell Martin, 23, set fire to his parents’ home a few miles away, then drove his SUV onto the church grounds. After running over a statue of Our Lord, he drove his car through the front door of the church.

“He went inside the church and shot up the statues, then poured accelerant around the sanctuary and lit it on fire,” said Women of Grace® co-facilitator, Catherine Buscemi. “The sanctuary was completely destroyed. One of the only items that survived was the Tabernacle.”

Tragically, Martin, who was not a member of the parish, ended his rampage by taking his own life in the parking lot of the church.

From that moment on, the shocked parishioners of St. Luke’s have been struggling to come to grips with the violence that took place in their midst along with the difficult task of having to rebuild their beloved church.

Charred tabernacle found after the fire inside St. Luke's church

“What was ultimately left of the church was the structure, the outer ‘shell’ of the church building…walls, floor and ceiling,” Catherine said.

Other parts of building like the social hall, parish offices and classrooms where Women of Grace® routinely meet sustained minimal damage. They were repaired within two months and are back in regular use.

However, the smell of smoke cannot be eliminated from the main building which means they will have to build a new church.

Embarking upon a capital campaign to raise millions of dollars hasn’t cowed this faith-filled parish and they are hard at work raising the funds they’ll need to resurrect St. Luke’s church.

“I’ve seen God’s hand at work at every turn,” Catherine said. “What was intended to destroy has built us up instead. The parish has been bonded together in faith tested by fire. In trials, God reveals Himself to those who stand with Him in hope and faith. As we tried to do that, God provided us a worship space in the social hall. He provided leaders and volunteers willing to help and then blessed us with the necessary funds. And He sent us His Holy Spirit to keep us going all along the way. We prayed and he answered our prayers. He’s still answering them!”

Catherine credits the strong leadership of St. Luke’s pastor, Fr. Robert Staley, D.Min, for guiding his flock through this crisis. He started a program encouraging parishioners to pledge to pray to Our Lady in the wake of the fire and thus far, over 46,000 Hail Mary’s have been prayed!

Parishioners are not just praying for a new church, however. The repose of the soul of young Martin and comfort for his family are never far from their thoughts and prayers.

“We can build another church, but that young man is gone,” Catherine said.

If you feel inspired to help the parish get back on its feet, please visit their GoFundMe page or visit the parish website and Facebook page for more information.

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