St. Mary's Polish Church 'will rise again,' parishioners vow

A day after a fire razed St. Mary's Polish Church, parishioners remain determined to rebuild.

Parishioners met Sunday to discuss the future of the church following a special mass at a nearby community hall.

"I'm certainly hearing a consensus that St. Mary's Polish Church will rise again," said Tom Urbaniak, president of the parish council. "We are still a parish and we will stay together."

The fire broke out at about noon Saturday. Two hours later, the 100-year-old building — Atlantic Canada's only Polish church — was gone.

Urbaniak said there have been many offers to help.

"There's a resilience in the spirit of the Polish Cape Bretoners, and in the spirit of the larger community," he said.

"We've been receiving hundreds of notes from people, not just from across Canada but everywhere, saying they're here to help us regardless of background or denomination."

Urbaniak said the building was insured.

There is no official word on what caused the fire. An official with the Cape Breton Regional Fire Service said investigators are confident they have determined the origin.

"We're just putting things together now. Hopefully, within the next day or so we'll be able to release the cause of the fire," said platoon chief Paul Ferguson.

Urbaniak said the fire appears to be connected to a roofing construction project.