EAST FLATBUSH — An early-evening fire on Friday at St. Catherine of Genoa forced the church to temporarily close and parishioners to attend Mass in the basement of its former school on Sunday, Aug. 25.

Many of the parishioners did not know there had been a Friday night emergency when they scaled the church’s front steps for Mass.

Handwritten messages in English and Creole on the front doors at 520 Linden Boulevard in East Flatbush directed them to the neighboring basement of the church’s former school, which is now leased by a charter school.

“We don’t know yet what was the cause of the fire,” said Father Adrien Ntwa, a visiting priest from South Africa who is ministering at the parish this summer. “The firefighters are still investigating.”

But, he noted, the fire happened while a contractor was welding a steel beam to help shore up a sagging roof in the parish garage. The beam extends from the garage to the back wall of the sacristy, where wood framing ignited.

Father Ntwa said investigators would analyze security camera footage to help determine if the welding ignited the fire. In the meantime, Masses will continue at the former parish school, pending completion of repairs, Father Ntwa said.

No one was hurt during the fire, which started around 8 p.m. on Friday.

Firefighters had to punch holes in ceilings and the back wall to find and snuff out the blaze. Consequently, the sacristy and a hallway leading to it had interior damage, and water fell from the ceiling into the sanctuary.

The nave, basement, and rectory were untouched by flames, but a smoky odor permeated the premises on Sunday.

Father Ntwa, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, ministers at a parish in the Limpopo province of the northern part of South Africa. He has been a visiting summer priest to the Diocese of Brooklyn since 2019.

He said St. Catherine’s pastor, Father Raphael Munday Kukana, also from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was vacationing there during the fire.

He added that Father Kukana was notified of the emergency and planned to cancel the rest of his trip to rush home and oversee repairs.

Bishop Robert Brennan visited the parish early Sunday morning and celebrated the 8 a.m. Mass.

“It was beautiful,” Father Ntwa said. “Like a father coming to comfort grieving children. His presence made a big difference, and the people were excited and grateful to see him.”

In a statement to The Tablet, Bishop Brennan said Mass was “lively and upbeat, even for an early-morning celebration and being in a school auditorium.”

“We shared sorrow at the damage caused by the fire,” he continued, “but, at the same time, a great deal of gratitude and hope, focusing on the presence of the Lord among us.”

Meanwhile, parishioners also expressed gratitude for Father Ntwa, who noticed the odor of smoke and called the fire department.

The priest said he smelled smoke while changing linens and moving from the sacristy to the sanctuary. But he did not see smoke anywhere inside the church. So he went outside and asked people in the crew working in the garage if they noticed anything. Everyone looked up and saw smoke rising from the roof above the sacristy, Father Ntwa said.

He then called 911.

“The response was very strong,” Father Ntwa said. “They came in time, and they rescued us.”

Bishop Brennan said the parishioners showed “tremendous gratitude” to Father Ntwa, firefighters, and police for the “quick and effective response” and all those assisting in the clean-up and repair.

“Several police officers and firefighters were present at the Mass as a sign of solidarity and support,” he added. “It was nice to thank them face-to-face.”

Parishioner Marjory Edwards-Patron, a parish lector, said fire trucks lined the streets around the parish during the Friday evening blaze.

“Thank God for Father Adrien,” she said. “If it wasn’t for him, we may not have had a church. God was guiding us in this.”

A former pastor at the parish agreed.

Father Gerald Dumont led St. Catherine of Genoa for 18 years, from 1991 to 2009. He is now the parochial vicar for St. Francis of Assisi-St Blaise Parish in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn.

He came to Catherine of Genoa Sunday afternoon to see the damage and to comfort former parishioners who greeted him with hugs and Creole banter. The Haitian-born priest admitted apprehension at first.

“After a prayer this morning, I said, ‘Well, I have to come and see,’ ” Father Dumont said. “It really hurts my heart to see the disaster, but that’s okay. We will rebuild.”
Father Dumont invoked Revelation 21:5 — “The one who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ Then he said, ‘Write these words down, for they are trustworthy and true.’”