In the mid-west of the USA, tornadoes hit the state of Kentucky the hardest. One of these tornadoes destroyed the Church of the Resurrection in Dawson Springs.

Newsroom (28/11/2021 08:41 AM, Gaudium Press) For several years already, Hollywood movies have shown threatening, gigantic tornadoes as one of their preferred trends. Yet, in December alone, what took place in several central US states (Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky) looked like scenes from an apocalyptic movie. About 50 tornadoes hit these states, causing approximately 100 deaths, several injuries and millions of dollars in devastation. One of the tornadoes traversed the longest distance on the ground: 215 miles (ca. 350 km)

In the mid-west of the USA, tornadoes hit the state of Kentucky the hardest. One of these tornadoes destroyed the Church of the Resurrection in Dawson Springs.

“We couldn’t save anything” from the church, said parish priest, Fr. David Kennedy. “Everything will have to be torn down and rebuilt.”

However, as a symbol of hope amidst the devastation, a three feet tall bronze image of Our Lady with the Child Jesus remains unscathed, sitting on concrete.

A sign of Hope

“The image has been in this church for about eight years,” Fr Kennedy said. “They are trying to remove it [the team working on the reconstruction], because we are going to have to remove it sooner or later; we are going to have to bring a digger. They haven’t been able to do it yet. Our own people have not been able to remove it so far.”

The priest noted the symbolism of the image’s resilience amidst the scene of desolation: “I feel that the fact that the image is still standing is a sign of hope for many people,” he emphasized. “Mary is always our hope.”

The number of parishioners at the Church of the Resurrection in Dawson Springs is about 70 people; none died because of the tornadoes.

With files from SpectrumNews

Compiled by Gustavo Kralj