As part of what a local religious leader describes as a “miracle,” a Catholic Church in Maui still stands after wildfires ravaged its surroundings.
Photographs taken in recent days reveal that Maria Lanakila Catholic Church in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, remains standing after a wildfire tore through the Maui County community and left several trees in the vicinity of the property scorched. The Rev. Terrence Watanabe, the vicar of Maui and Lanai, expressed gratitude for the preservation of the historic site in an interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Saturday.
“For us, it’s like a miracle,” he said. “When we saw the news and saw the church steeple rise above the town, it was a great sight to see.”
Maria Lanakila Catholic Church dates back to 1846, more than 100 years before Hawaii joined the union as the 50th state. While the church and its adjacent rectory appear to remain intact, the roof blew off the nearby Sacred Heart School. The roof remains on the 19th century Catholic Church, although it appears to have sustained some level of damage.
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