Originally published at National Catholic Register
The Los Angeles Fire Department estimates the blaze at nearly 16,000 acres, with around 300 structures destroyed.
A raging wildfire in the Pacific Palisades sector of Los Angeles has destroyed Corpus Christi Catholic Church and forced the closure of 65 Catholic schools, archdiocesan officials said.
An image shared by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles shows the church reduced to a steel frame. Announcing the “terrible sad news of our Church” on Corpus Christi’s website, Father Liam Kidney indicated that “the priests are safe with family and friends.”
Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez urged prayers on social media, writing, “Please keep praying for all those suffering in the wildfires sweeping through Southern California. My heart goes out to our neighbors who have lost their homes and livelihoods.”
In addition to Corpus Christi, there may be about four more parishes that are threatened and are either under an evacuation order or warning, Father Andrew Hedstrom, associate pastor at St. Linus Catholic Church in Norwalk, California, wrote on X.
Paul Escala, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Archdiocese, attributed the string of school closures to evacuation orders, power outages, poor air quality, and staff displacement. “We are in nearly every neighborhood
