Massive arson fire scorches St. John Vianney Church in Hacienda Heights
By Brian Day, San Gabriel Valley Tribute
HACIENDA HEIGHTS - An arsonist may have destroyed a house of worship over the weekend, however St. John Vianney Church is as strong as ever, clergy and parishioners said.
Los Angeles County sheriff's investigators have determined a massive fire that caused an estimated $8 million worth to damage to the church, 1345 Turnbull Canyon Road, just after midnight Saturday was intentionally set.
"The extensive structure fire at St. John Vianney Church in Hacienda Heights has been confirmed as an act of arson," sheriff's officials said in a written statement.
"We are actively investigating to identify the suspect responsible. At this time we are not able to share any leads that we are working on."
Richard and Maria Navarro, who have been attending the church for 38 years, said they were devastated by the destruction behind the church's scorched main building.
"Whoever did this is just... there's no name for it," Maria Navarro said. "They did it to a whole community."
"(But) it is a building, and they did not destroy the church. We are the church."
Despite the outrage over the senseless destruction, parishioners and church staff also spoke of forgiveness.
"It's a very troubled person that did this, and we'll pray for him as well," Maria Navarro said.
The Navarros said they have made countless wonderful memories inside the gutted church. All three of their children received their first communion there, and one of their daughters was married there.
Masses are being held in the church's activities center, to the rear of the damaged main church building.
Father Ricky Viveros reiterated that the loss of a building will not weaken the church.
"Our parish is alive and well," he said. "We're the church. The people."
Viveros also called on the community to pray for whoever's responsible for the blaze.
While Viveros acknowledged that the fire has cause caused some broken hearts, "There's a sense that we're going to triumph over this act of evil and move forward."
St. John Vianney Church, he said, "will be rebuilt."
Viveros was one of three church officials inside on on-campus house when the fire broke out.
"What woke me up was what sounded like glass breaking," he said. "I thought someone was breaking in."
When he looked out his second-floor window, the church was already engulfed in flames.
He gathered the other two men inside the home and all three exited unscathed.
Despite preliminary official reports that one of three priests who were inside a house on the church property suffered minor smoke inhalation, Viveros said that was, luckily, not the case.
A firefighter suffered a cut to his hand while battling the blaze, Los Angeles County Fire Department Dispatch Supervisor Bernard Peters said. He was treated at a local hospital and released later Saturday.
Anyone with information about the fire is asked to call the sheriff's Industry Station at 626-330-3322.
Fire crews bring down church's roof so arson probe can proceed
By J.D. Velasco, San Gabriel Valley Tribute
HACIENDA HEIGHTS - Under a gray and drizzling sky, Los Angeles County fire crews worked Monday afternoon to bring down the roof of the burned-out hulk that was formerly the sanctuary of St. John Vianney Church.
Los Angeles County sheriff's arson investigators have deemed Saturday's blaze - which caused about $8 million in damage - an act of arson, but the exact cause still has not been determined because of the precarious state of the building.
"Right now they're in the process of taking down the roof, because it's too dangerous," said Sgt. Gary Morgan of the sheriff's Arson/Explosives Detail.
Morgan could not say why investigators say the fire was intentionally set other than "burn patterns inconsistent with a normal fire."
He said once the building has been declared safe for investigators to work in, the scene will probably take one more day to process.
One woman who said she's been a member of the church for 35 years but declined to give her name said she was saddened by the scene unfolding in front of her.
"Everybody's just heartbroken," she said. "It's just so senseless."
Michael Gribschaw, music director for the church, said he kept all of his musical works dating back to his college years inside the building. He lost it all.
"Buildings and organs and things can be replaced. The music, that's gone," he said, before being overcome with emotion.
Violet Ramirez, 42, of West Covina, said the church has played an important role in many people's lives over the years.
"All my kids were baptized here. I've been to weddings here," she said. "It just seems like home."
Marie Hernandez, 70, who was watching with her grandson, Christopher Lopez, 14, said she's seen many people crying, but the tragedy isn't keeping her down.
She's been attending the church since 1993. She attended Mass in the O'Callaghan Center in the back of the property after the fire Sunday, along with more than 1,000 others. She said she will be there for Easter.
A Facebook page titled "Rebuild St. John Vianney" already has more than 2,000 followers. There's already been a car wash to raise money for reconstruction, and the neighboring Mormon church offered to let St. John Vianney members use its buildings for services.
But Hernandez said church leaders decided it would be better to keep things where they are. "It's our church," she said.
Easter services will be held as planned Sunday, but in the O'Callaghan Center instead.
After church fire, grieving parishioners attend Palm Sunday service
By Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times
Alice Ameluxen wept as she stared Sunday at the burned-out shell that was the St. John Vianney Church. An arsonist's fire destroyed the stained glass windows that had cast a warm golden glow on the dark wood pews, the massive pipe organ and the simple wood crucifix that hung above the stone altar.
The 43-year-old had grown up in the Hacienda Heights Catholic church. A half-century ago, her parents were among its founding parishioners. Nearly every milestone in Ameluxen's life, from taking her first Communion to getting married to grieving at her parents' funerals, had taken place within its walls.
"My happiest and saddest memories are here," she said, clutching the hand of her 7-year-old daughter, Jean. "I just feel like I lost my home."
That was a common sentiment on Palm Sunday, as more than 5,000 members of the parish and others from the community struggled to come to terms with an arson the previous day that had destroyed the building.
Bishop Gabino Zavala, who lives two blocks away, was awakened by a neighbor pounding on his door just after midnight Saturday morning. He ran to his front lawn and saw flames shooting 150 feet in the air. He rushed to the church, finding himself alongside priests and parishioners helplessly watching flames destroy the church and the rectory.
"I was unfortunately here to witness the horror of watching our church go up in flames," said the Rev. Msgr. Tim Nichols. "The challenge is not to look backward. It's heartbreaking."
The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating the fire along with L.A. County authorities.
"The investigators have been quite definitive to me, this was very definitely a deliberate act," said Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Department, who said he could not release additional information because of the ongoing investigation. "They're following up these leads as we speak."
On Sunday, a hastily rearranged Mass was held at a parish hall on the church property that is typically used for wedding receptions, Bible study and other events. More than 1,000 people attended the 10 a.m. gathering, spilling out of the hall. Many lined the walls, while others stood outside, craning their necks to try to hear the service.
Sunday was Palm Sunday, or Passion Sunday, when Christians mark Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem prior to his crucifixion. The pre-Easter message about Jesus' suffering, betrayal and crucifixion was especially poignant given what the parish had seen over the preceding 36 hours. The first reading was from the Old Testament book of Isaiah: "I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; My face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. The Lord God is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame."
Church leaders vowed to rebuild the church, which they said could cost $10 million and take two to three years.
"On this Passion Sunday, we focus on the death of Jesus but more importantly, we're looking at resurrection. So we're going to rise again with a new church. Praise the Lord," Nichols said, as the crowd cheered loudly.
Despite the attempts to carry on with business as usual, stark reminders of the parish's straits were obvious. There were no hymnals, because they had burned in the pews, so many people did not know the words to the songs. Before taking Communion, parishioners knelt on the hard linoleum floor. The blessed wafers and wine were distributed at the front of the church, but also outside, to ease congestion.
Nichols said the physical location of the Mass didn't matter. "The good news is that we're not in church today, but the church is here because the church is in our hearts," he said. "And we are the people and we are the church."
St. John Vianney was an institution that reached well beyond its Catholic parishioners. Hacienda Heights residents would frequently attend the church carnival and Early California Days festival. This weekend, that community began to extend a hand. Residents left flowers along the property's edge. The local Mormon church and a high school offered facilities for worship, though Nichols said parishioners wanted to stay close to the church building.
Parishioners tried to put on a brave face, but they struggled, especially as they looked at the ruins of the church, which was ringed in safety fence and yellow police tape. A sign deemed the building "unsafe." Sections of Spanish-tile roof and brick wall remained, but the inside was nearly unrecognizable. An acrid smell was heavy in the air.
"I believe this whole world is going to hell in a handbasket," said Reinhold Leiser, an 82-year-old usher at the church. "It's going to be a struggle. But we're going to come out of it, and we're going to build the most beautiful church. I'm convinced of it."
Ameluxen strained as she thought of the person who set the blaze.
"There aren't even words," she said. "I'm sorry for them. I'm sorry they would feel so evil they could do something so terrible."
"I hope God can forgive them for this," she said, before adding. "I'm sure he will."
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