Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church withstood the devastating wildfires that ravaged the municipality of Jasper and the adjacent Jasper National Park.
“Thanks be to God,” the Archdiocese of Edmonton stated in reaction to the news.
Due to a still-active evacuation order, neither the archdiocese nor local parish staff can assess the extent of internal damage to the house of worship.
The Edmonton archdiocesan communications department acknowledged that “this continues to be a heartbreaking time for the parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes, the people of Jasper and the surrounding communities. Many of the parishioners feel the devastating loss of their homes and their livelihoods and the sense of security and normalcy of life in the Town of Jasper.”
According to Parks Canada, 358 of the town’s 1,113 structures (32.2 per cent) were destroyed in the blaze that raged for several days starting the evening of July 24.
Over 5,000 people were ultimately evacuated from the townsite, and 20,000 tourists had to vacate the national park, where crews are still actively working to extinguish hotspots.
Parks Canada vowed on its website that “our top priority is to protect the community of Jasper from the remaining risk posed by the fire. This includes the construction of a fireguard between Pyramid Lake and Highway 16.” A high-volume sprinkler system is also being set up as a defence mechanism.
While evacuees await their return to Jasper, they have been welcomed with open arms in Alberta communities like Edmonton, Calgary, Grande Prairie, Hinton and more.
“We are grateful to the pastors and our sister parishes of Our Lady of the Foothills in Hinton, Holy Cross Parish in Grande Cache and Our Lady of the Rockies in Susa Creek,” stated the archdiocesan press release. “They have welcomed evacuees for Mass and provided them with essential needs — food, shelter, clothing and toiletries — as well as an attentive ear to comfort them in their grief. Archbishop Richard Smith and the pastoral administration office continue to provide support to Fr. Anthony Narisetty, associate pastor Fr. Marreddy Udumala, church staff and the entire parish community of Our Lady of Lourdes.”
