An EF-4 tornado that ripped through Barnsdall, Oklahoma on May 6 with winds up to 175 mph tore through the parish of St. Mary’s in Barnsdall, leveling the parish center but leaving the tabernacle and the Blessed Sacrament untouched – and the sanctuary lamp still burning!
KJRH.com is reporting on the miraculous discovery of the intact tabernacle, with the sanctuary lamp still burning, inside the tiny stone church of St. Mary’s. Even though the parish center next door was demolished, the church was left standing although it did sustain window and roof damage.
The church’s pastor, Rev. Emmanuel Nduka, who serves as pastor to two other churches, lives in nearby Pawhuska and didn’t know about the EF-4 tornado until a parishioner called him. He rushed over to the church to find the front door destroyed and the windows smashed by the violent winds.
“The wind really entered into the church,” Nduka told the Catholic News Agency (CNA). “So it is very, very mind-boggling to see that the tabernacle was still standing there in the sanctuary, and the sanctuary light was still burning.”
When he saw it, “I knelt down, in adoration to the Lord, and said, ‘thank you for everything,’” the pastor said.
Was he surprised by the miracle? Not at all, he said. “God is in charge, God is in control. So why would I be surprised?”
But the miracle had quite an impact on parishioners. One of the church’s deacons, Robert Axsom, who walked news media through the church and pointed out the damage surrounding the intact tabernacle, was very impressed.
“It just looked like God put up his hand and stopped it,” Axsom said.
Remarkably, crews pitched in to clean up the church in time to hold Sunday services this past weekend as usual. Not surprisingly, attendance was up.
Francis Berg, who was baptized and married at St. Mary’s, told KJHR the church is a pillar of her life.
“It’s meant a great deal to have so many people here and just the love and the appreciation that God blessed us,” Berg said.
Even though the rest of the town was devastated by the twister, “Our church made it home again with the cross still standing and just a beacon of hope for our community,” she said.
It’s also a beacon of hope for all who hear of this incredible event. Only God could have prevented 175 mph winds from not only destroying the Blessed Sacrament, but from snuffing the lone flame of the sanctuary lamp that is always left burning wherever the Eucharist is reserved as “an emblem of Christ’s abiding love and a reminder to the faithful to respond with loving adoration in return.”
Wha a powerful message this sends to the faithful in Barnsdall, and to Catholics around the world!
As for Father Nduka, he plans to celebrate the regularly scheduled Sunday Mass at St. Mary’s from here on.
“We as Christians should rely on God every time. God is the only reason why we’re here on earth. Outside God life has no meaning, I believe in that strongly, and that’s why I’m a priest now,” he said.
Amen!
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