A tornado tore through a Barnsdall church May 6. But the altar — and a single lit candle — were untouched
A church sustained broken windows and roof damage, while its adjacent parish hall was destroyed when a May 6 tornado wreaked havoc on the small city of Barnsdall.
But the first person to arrive at St. Mary's Catholic Church after the storm was brought to his knees by something else he noticed amid all of the debris and mud-splattered pews: a candle representing the presence of Christ remained lit at the altar.
"I turned and I looked at the altar, and the crucifix and the candles, everything — they were all untouched," parishioner Jack Johnson said.
"When the Eucharist is in the tabernacle on the altar, there always needs to be a candle lit as long as Jesus' body is there. And the candle was still lit because Jesus's body obviously was there."
The Eucharistic Host is considered by Catholic Christians to be the body of Jesus Christ. The consecrated host — typically a small unleavened wafer of bread — is considered sacred. It is an integral part of the Eucharist, also called Holy Communion.
Johnson said he lives just outside town, and he felt compelled to check on the church because he is responsible for lighting the sanctuary candle signifying the presence of Christ. He said he drove his normal route to the church about 9:30 a.m. May 7, and saw the "heartbreaking" damage to homes and other property along the tornado's path.
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He said he called St. Mary's pastor, the Rev. Emmanuel Nduka, once he got to the church, and they both knelt at the altar, awestruck that the EF4 tornado had somehow bypassed the altar with its lighted candle. He said he thought the tornadic winds blew out the doors of the church and whipped about all four corners of the house of worship but steered clear of the altar at the center.
"There was a little bit of debris, a couple of leaves, but pretty much that whole area was just like we had left it on that Sunday," Johnson said.
He said Nduka turned to him and declared that Sunday Mass would be held at St. Mary's in just a few days time.
Johnson said with two deaths, several people injured and much property damage, he is hoping that what happened at the small church will come to symbolize hope for the future of Barnsdall.
At Mass on the Sunday after the storm, Nduka shared the same sentiment with about 100 parishioners who filed into the church. God, he said, should have the final word regarding what happened, and he wanted to focus attention on the Lord and not the destruction, Eastern Oklahoma Catholic magazine reported.
"Do not be afraid, my dear friends," Nduka reportedly said in his homily.
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"God is in control. God is in charge. As a community, as a church, we shall emerge better and stronger."
Johnson agreed.
"He (Nduka) was saying that the Lord is still here with the town — he's still here right in the midst."
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Barnsdall tornado destroys St. Mary's church, but altar untouched
