New Kensington church damaged by tornado in 2020 to reopen

Parishioners of a New Kensington church damaged by a tornado more than two years ago are slated to return to it for worship in November.

The Rev. Larry J. Kulick, bishop of the Diocese of Greensburg, announced Friday that he will be at St. Mary of Czestochowa at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 27, to celebrate a Mass of reopening and welcome parishioners back to their church.

“The day is significant because this is the first Sunday of Advent and, for us as Catholics, the beginning of a new liturgical year in our church,” Kulick said. “It will also be a new beginning for the parishioners of St. Mary of Czestochowa.”

The church has been closed since an EF-1 tornado, with winds up to 100 mph, hit it shortly after 1 a.m. April 8, 2020. It tore off part of the roof and caused critical damage to one of the two bell towers. Heavy rains and winds caused extensive damage inside the church.

“Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw when I arrived here the morning after the storm. I could not believe the damage,” Kulick said. “It was heartbreaking to see how this powerful storm caused so much damage to this beautiful church. However, because of the love and the mercy of Christ, nobody was injured.”

Damages totaled $2.7 million, according to the diocese. Work on repairs started in December and is not finished.

“We have been assured by engineers independent of the diocese that the church is safe for parishioners to return,” Kulick said. “There are a few things to take care of before we can reopen, and those will be done over the coming weeks. As the church is reopened, work will continue outside on the roof and the exterior structure surrounding it.”

Crews already have repaired the church’s heavily damaged plaster, repaired carpentry and painted. Light fixtures were removed and restored.

Scaffolding was removed and carpeting and other final interior restoration work was finished a few weeks ago.

A start date for the roof repair, the last phase of the project, will be announced shortly, the diocese said.

The damaged bell tower, which was removed, will be rebuilt as it was, said Msgr. Raymond E. Riffle, vicar general of the Diocese of Greensburg.

Insurance is covering the cost of the restoration, with almost no cost to the parish, Riffle said.

“The project had many hurdles to overcome, complex hurdles — the covid pandemic, negotiation with insurance carriers and contractors, which had to be precise so that no renovation cost will be passed on to the parish,” Riffle said. “Work shortage and supply chain issues cropped up, causing some delays.

“The sacrifices that have been made and the patience demonstrated by the parishioners here, I think, have made it well worth the wait.”

Parishioner Michael Hakos of Plum said his family’s history with St. Mary of Czestochowa dates to 1905. He, his parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were married there. He was baptized there.

“Just about everything in life begins here,” he said.

He came to the church at 6 a.m. the morning after the tornado.

“I was devastated and in tears,” Hakos said.

Hakos said the church has been returned to its condition before the tornado, maybe better.

That has included artist Jeph Gurecka, an East Vandergrift native, restoring the hand-painted murals on the ceiling, which had been damaged by water. Gurecka also restored a mural of the Lamb of God above the sanctuary.

“I never thought it would get back to the condition it is now,” Hakos said. “We’ve made big progress.”

Kulick said he will return to St. Mary of Czestochowa for a rededication and blessing Mass once all of the work is finished. Diocese officials expect that to be sometime in the spring.

Kulick thanked the parishioners of St. Mary of Czestochowa.

“This is a magnificent church, and it is an important parish in our diocese,” Kulick said. “Thank you for your prayers for the safety of the construction crews who climbed the high scaffolding and worked diligently to restore your parish.

“I know it has not been easy not having this church for worship, for funerals, for baptisms and for general activities that are the center of parish life. Thank you for the sacrifices that you have made and the patience that you have demonstrated.”