The congregation of St. Mary Roman Catholic Church had to celebrate Pentecost Sunday at nearby St. Joseph Church Sunday morning. Fire tore through the historic St. Mary Church last week.
Firefighters were called to the scene at about 6:35 p.m. Thursday and were still pouring water on the back of the church after 10 p.m. that night. Some stayed on the scene throughout the night to watch for and extinguish the expected flare-ups.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. State and local officials are investigating.
Some scaffolding was set up inside the church for painting, but no one was inside the building when the fire broke out, Vertefeuille said.
The church, built in the early 1900s, is at 46 Valley St., near the Main Street Historic District and next door to the St. Mary-St. Joseph School.