When fire damaged Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Corona on Jan. 5, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio was one of the first on the scene to inspect the site.

He returned last weekend to celebrate Mass with the parish community and encourage their efforts to rebuild.

“I wanted to just be here with the people at this difficult moment and to assure them the church will be usable again,” said the bishop.

“There’s not much you can say. It’s just presence in a time of crisis.”

Bishop DiMarzio said he is confident that the parish will rise from the ashes. “Right from the beginning, the people were there praying outside the church. They’ll make it. These are people who are used to difficult moments.”

Ever since the flames closed the 100-year-old structure, Mass has been celebrated in the school auditorium, with a large white tent erected adjacent to it for the overflow crowd to attend via TV.

Msgr. Thomas Healy, pastor for the past 16 years, says that more than 8,000 people attend the 12 Sunday Masses. The parish is home to an Spanish-speaking immigrant population. Nine Masses are celebrated in Spanish and three in English. “It’s not easy,” explains Msgr. Healy, who is scheduled to retire in June. “We use a make-shift sacristy on the stage. And we have the tent. But it works. The people are coming. The people are with us and we’re going to make that church more beautiful than it ever has been.”

The pastor says he hopes to return services to the scaffolded church interior for Holy Week.

Msgr. Healy says that the tragedy has been a bonding experience. “People come together during a tragedy. It really has been a blessing,” he says.

“I’m stressed out, but we’ll do it.”

For Lent, all parishioners – including  the children – have been asked to make donations in small mite boxes toward the renovation of the church.

The fire, which reportedly was electrical, started in the choir loft and did extensive damage to the roof.

Scaffolding now covers much of the church interior. The roof has been secured. The church walls need to be further checked. The cost of repairs is estimated to be in the millions. A more formal fundraising campaign will be mounted in the future.

Bishop DiMarzio arrived to greet worshippers leaving the 10:30 a.m. Mass. He celebrated the 11:30 liturgy in Spanish. Before and after the services, he was surrounded by congregants asking for personal blessings. While celebrating Mass in the auditorium, he distributed Communion in the tent. More than 1,000 people were in attendance.

“To see him (the bishop) here give our Mass in Spanish, it’s a blessing,” said Ed Lanfranco, who was baptized and received his first sacraments at the parish.

“It means that he has faith in us, that we can restore the church,” added Marlin Mayancela.

Father Ray Roden, who has been appointed pastor effective in June, also has been celebrating Mass there on weekends.

In the rectory, teenage girls were labeling the mite boxes, preparing them for distribution. Outside the rectory on the street corners, vendors were doing a brisk business selling ethnic food, flowers and hot drinks, as is customary in the many immigrant neighborhoods. Families gathered in front of the church to check out the state of repairs.

Msgr. Healy announced the schedule for the distribution of ashes. Attendees moved in and out of the school to maintain the tight Mass schedule. Parish life continued without skipping a beat.