After a tragic fire, St. Pauls By the Sea holding mass in parish hall

Almost 13 months after the tragic fire, Saint Paul’s by the Sea Episcopal Church is having service in their building again.

On Christmas eve, officials tell 47 ABC there will be mass held at 5:00 PM. There will also be a service on Christmas day.

This comes after a fire back in November of 2013, where John Sterner, 56, reportedly doused himself in gasoline, lit himself on fire, and walked into the Shepherd’s Crook food pantry. The blaze spread, eventually destroying the rectory and parish hall.

Sterner and the church’s pastor, Reverend David Dingwall, both died in the flames. Dana Truitt, who was volunteering at the time, survived, but suffered serious third-degree burns.

Father Martin Cyr says now is the perfect time to bring the service back to the building, “This parish has been through so much this past year a lot of lows, a lot of highs, a lot of tough decisions. The service in the church is a lot of hard work and with Christmas Eve and the rebirth of the church celebrating the birth of our Lord it’s all coming together.

Although the construction is not yet complete, officials are hoping to have a service on January 11th celebrating the reopening of the church.