Fire torches Catholic parish offices, chapel in North Carolina feedproxy.google.com

A fire tore through the parish offices of a historic Catholic church in Monroe, North Carolina early Monday morning, and though the damage is extensive, the church's pastor is thankful that the blaze did not touch the main sanctuary or the Blessed Sacrament.

Father Benjamin Roberts told CNA he arrived at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church on Monday morning, ready to celebrate daily Mass, to find the parish office building had burned to the ground.

Roberts was shaken, but he resolved to celebrate Mass outdoors in the outdoor grotto, as scheduled.