NE Minneapolis congregation still picking up the pieces after devastating church fire

Crystal Bui

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A community is still picking up the pieces after a church fire Monday in northeast Minneapolis.

No one was hurt when flames burned through Sacred Heart of Jesus Polish National Catholic Church. But volunteers and church staff have spent days salvaging what they can.

“My great grandparents helped build the church. My grandparents were married here, both sets of grandparents. All my aunts and uncles were all married in this church. It’s been horrible,” said Brian Rzeszutek, a churchgoer. “Horrible, I just started crying, sick to my stomach. It’s a lot of years of history.”

For the sacred place of worship, their faith was tested.

“We never expected something like this to happen,” said Caroline Kutek. “There was just volunteers everywhere, people that we’ve known from the past. People who are present from this church, people who are just walking by on the streets who wanted to help out. It’s been an overwhelming sense of community, and it’s amazing to really feel Minneapolis strong, especially with what’s going on, the community is just incredible here.”

[KSTP]

A GoFundMe page for the church has collected more than $18,000 in donations so far.

Northeast Minneapolis church heavily damaged after fire