The parish church of St. Sebastian of Curarrehue was destroyed by fire in the early hours of January 10
Image: Church of San Sebastian de Curarrehue, before the fire
Newsroom (January 12, 2021, 8:15 PM, Gaudium Press) The parish church of San Sebastian de Curarrehue, in the Chilean diocese of Villarrica, was the victim of a fire in the early hours of January 10.
The church which is under the direction of the Piarist Fathers was totally destroyed in the fire. Besides being a place of piety, the temple had an important cultural value. Some offices of the parish were also destroyed by the fire.
Firefighters were called and worked for hours to control the fire and prevent it from spreading to three nearby schools.
On the website of the Piarists’ congregation an official statement read:
“From the pain of loss and, imitating the tenacious patience of our Founder, San Jose de Calasanz, we reiterate our desire to serve the Christian Community and we pray for the material and spiritual revival of the People of God who are on pilgrimage in Curarrehue.”
The accident left no casualties but, authorities are investigating the causes of the incident.
Bishop Francisco Javier Stegmeier, Bishop of Villarrica, asked the faithful to pray for the community of Curarrehue and the Piarist priests so affected by the fire.
The church of San Sebastian de Curarrehue was built by Bishop Francisco Valdés Subercaseaux, Venerable and Chilean Capuchin priest and Bishop of Osorno. (FM)
Compiled by Zephania Gangl
