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From Fenton High Ridge Patch: http://fenton-highridge.patch.com/articles/new-year-dawns-with-neighbors-helping-neighbors
Brotherly love was in evidence in Fenton on the first day of 2011 as parishoners of St. Paul Catholic Church were joined by their neighbors, and neighboring church members, to clean up the mess left behind by a New Year's Eve storm.
The copper roof on the church, at 15 Forest Knoll Drive in Fenton, was largely blown away in strong winds at about noon on New Year's Eve. The parish rectory suffered severe damage and many windows at St. Paul Catholic School were blown out.
"We've been out since 9:30 this morning picking up glass and debris on the soccer field," said St. Paul parishoner Suzie Biundo, as she and her husband, Nick, pitched in on the clean-up.
Kathleen Lupa just decided to drive to St. Paul and offer her help. She's a member of the United Methodist Church in Fenton.
"I just heard about it and decided to help," said Lupa, who was sweeping debris from the parking lot. "Everyone needs to help one another. It's the right thing to do."
Michelle Chauvin, a member of St. Paul's, said people arrived early Saturday morning to help.
"It is really heartwarming to see," Chauvin said. "We've been picking up glass, debris and building parts."
Chauvin said she is confident the future of the church, despite the storm damage.
"The church is intact. The church is the people," she said. "This is just bricks and mortar."
The Rev. Michael Dieckmann, pastor at St. Paul's, was busy trying to coordinate the small army of helpers as the pieces of the church were being picked up. Dieckmann and the Rev. James Holbrook were the only two people on the church grouns when the storm hit. They took shelter in the basement as strong winds ripped much of the roof from the rectory.
Dieckmann was quick to put the damage in perspective.
"We'll be fine. All we got was a hole in the roof," he said. "None of our possessions were lost. We didn't have it nearly as bad as the folks in Sunset Hills."
Dieckmann also gave thanks to everyone who turned out to help St. Paul's pick up the pieces. That gratitude likely will be repeated at a 5 p.m. Mass the parish had scheduled for Saturday in the damaged church. A full schedule of Masses will be held Sunday.
Among those on the scene Saturday morning were crews from Woodard Cleaning and Restoration Services, whose crews covered exposed structures with tarps, boarded up windows and cleaning up small areas of standing water.
"We're ringing in the new year with roofing tarps, said Scott Dieckgraefe, Woodard's marketing director. "We're keeping the elements outside."
St. Paul's Catholic School sustained storm damage too, but Dieckgraefe said it could have been worse.
"They were very fortunate actually," he said. "There was glass and glass shards everywhere but there wasn't much water damage."
School was scheduled to start Monday, but has been postponed a day in order for teachers to get their classrooms back in order, Dieckmann said.
( posted: March 17, 2011 )
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