HISTORY

After the Notre Dame cathedral caught fire in 2018, Rev. Carnahan reflected: “The people here had built a beautiful structure of stone, brick, and wood. Standing on the top of the bluff over the Androscoggin River, the cross on top of its spire could be seen from almost everyone in the Lewiston/Auburn area.

But it also fell to fire in much the same way that Notre Dame fell. While work was being done on our building some of the timbers in the roof caught fire. The flames spread along the roof, and reached the tall spire. We have video of the moment when the spire fell into the street. Firefighters were able to put the fire out, but the roof was gone, and there was terrible damage in the interior. Seven of the stained glass windows were saved, but very little else. …[T]hose who loved this place and saw that fire are still sad when they think of it. The church had been the site of baptisms, weddings, funerals, prayers; celebration and mourning, hope and despair, doubt and faith. Lots of faith. But it burned and was gone.

Fire destroys wood and even stone, but not faith. Faith lasts. The [people] who have been touched by the living Christ are not destroyed by the loss of a building. It hurts, of course, but our faith is in the eternal city of God, a place where fire purifies but does not consume, where rains wash but does not flood, and where the light of Christ shines eternally throughout the true City of Light.”