The main area of fire damage at Incarnation church in south Minneapolis is to a side altar on the north side of the building. DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Father Kevin McDonough acknowledges what a blessing it was that a parishioner noticed a fire at Incarnation church in south Minneapolis in its early stages March 9 and made an immediate 911 call. The damage “could have been much worse,” the pastor of this multi-cultural parish said, had the blaze gone unchecked. 

Yet, even though flames were doused quickly by the Minneapolis Fire Department, there will be long-term issues, church officials said.  

Among them is moving weekend Masses to the building across the street — Hiawatha Academy (formerly Incarnation School) — starting March 12. Cleanup and restoration of the church is expected to take at least six months, even though most of the damage was contained to a side altar on the north side of the building. 

“As is true in most fires, smoke damage will be the real issue,” Father McDonough said, explaining the need to stay out of the church for now. “I’m sure there’s soot everywhere.” 

The cost to repair and restore the church is yet to be determined, said Deacon Carl Valdez, who serves at Incarnation. All of the pews will need to be removed so scaffolding can be put up to do the work, he noted. That alone will cost at least $100,000 he said. 

Unmeasured in dollar amounts will be the emotional pain felt by parishioners who have to deal with the temporary loss of their worship space and adjust to new ways of obtaining the sacraments. For example, just days after the fire, six baptisms scheduled to be done collectively at the church March 12 were re-routed to the parish rectory, where Father McDonough and Deacon Valdez planned to do them in six separate rooms. 

Another significant change will be Quinceanera celebrations for girls reaching their 15th birthdays. Typically, the celebrations begin with a prayer service at the church, followed by a reception at a facility chosen by the family. Starting this weekend, Deacon Valdez will travel to the reception site to do a short blessing there. 

The current plan calls for the basement, or “lower church,” to reopen the weekend of April 9-10. Palm Sunday Masses will take place there, along with all Holy Week services, with everything livestreamed.  

Stations of the Cross will be livestreamed from the rectory basement every Friday during Lent and, beginning March 14, daily Mass will be livestreamed from the church sacristy. 

“We’ve seen some tears,” Deacon Valdez said about conversations he and Father McDonough have had with parishioners. Among those mourning the damage are people with strong devotions to the Holy Child Jesus and to St. Paul the Apostle — devotions rooted in traditions from Axochiapan, Mexico, where some immigrants in the parish are from, Deacon Valdez said. The side altar with the most damage was used as a place for those devotions and is called Santo Niño Jesus. The altar was destroyed, and Deacon Valdez said there will be discussions on how to replace it and restore the area around it. 

The fire is still under investigation, with the cause yet unknown. Deacon Valdez said he believes it was accidental. One young parishioner has started a GoFundMe effort to help cover costs not covered by insurance.  

Deacon Valdez said the surrounding neighborhood will feel the impact of the damage to this historic structure, completed and dedicated in 1920 in response to city growth south of downtown. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.