METROPOLITAN METHODIOS SURVEYS THE DAMAGE AT THE DORMITION CHURCH IN SOMERVILLE FOLLOWING THE FIRE THIS WEEK

Thankfulness and community best define us as Orthodox Christians, especially when tragedies happen in our lives. On September 15th around 7:00 pm, flames of fire went up in the narthex of our beloved Dormition of the Virgin Mary Church in Somerville MA. The candle stand caught on fire from the candles that had been left lit by accident and caused significant smoke and heat damage to the building. There was also water damage from the very successful attempt to contain the fire. Thank God we had just done a fire inspection and also verified that the heat sensors in our church were linked to the fire department. Thank God that Somerville and Cambridge fire departments responded promptly to the emergency call placed by the alarm system. These are the first things we are thankful for during this difficult time for our community because it means that after some professional cleaning, we will be able to celebrate Divine Liturgy this Sunday.  

We are likewise thankful for many phone calls and visits by our community members and neighbors because the fire has been contained and the building will be quickly restored, but we are still dealing with the aftermath. It is the embrace of the loving community that helped and will continue to help us as we recover from the physical and psychological damage caused by this fire.

As the Greek Orthodox community of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary in Somerville, we would like to express our deep heartfelt gratitude to our Spiritual Father His Eminence Metropolitan Methodios of Boston. It was most reassuring that we are in the loving care of our beloved Metropolitan when he visited us this morning with a fatherly embrace and arch pastoral love and care. We thank our wonderful Chancellor Fr. Theodore Barbas who has been there to provide resources and guidance as we are trying to recover.  Thank you all who offered your help and support. With faith in our Lord and the prayers of our good friends, we will overcome any obstacle that comes our way.