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St. Helena's Church in Minneapolis hit by lightning
A south Minneapolis church was hit by a lightning strike early Saturday morning for the second time in 10 years. Father Marcus Milless, the pastor at the church, says the roof suffered damage, the electronics in their organ were damaged and the dishwasher will need to be replaced. Nothing inside the church sustained significant damage.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Lightning does strike in the same spot twice apparently, at least in the case of one south Minneapolis church.
St. Helena’s Church hit by lightning
What we know:
St. Helena's Catholic Church pastor Marcus Milless tells FOX 9 he was waking up Saturday morning at about 5 a.m. when he heard a "big, loud boom" outside his window. The church's roof had been hit by lightning.
"It sounded like a bomb went off, something that sounded like the shattering of glass. It was actually the roof tiles and the capstone fell from the top of the roof onto the sidewalk," Milless said.
Charles Casserly, who does social media for the church’s fall festival Autumn Daze, said it’s the second time in 10 years the building has been hit by lightning.
What they're saying:
The church is located at 43rd Street and 33rd Avenue South in Minneapolis. Milless says the extent of the damage is to the clay tile roof, the capstone and electronic equipment within the church's organ, which he says is one of the staples of the community. Milless said an early estimate to get that repaired is about $20,000. He also said they will have to replace their dishwasher.
Officials with the church say some areas of the building are closed as they await repairs. There was never a fire at the church from the lightning strike, and nothing inside the church, such as windows, pews or the altar, sustained any damage. Milless says that came as a great relief to him as he woke up to the lightning.
"Is the church OK and what are we going to need to fix this time?" said Milless, referring to a lightning strike that happened there in 2015.
2015 lightning strike
The backstory:
Officials say the 2015 lightning strike destroyed the limestone cross that sat atop the church for 75 years. The force was so intense, the 3-foot-high, several-hundred-pound cross came crashing down, taking out beautiful rooftop tile, granite steps and a nearby walking path as it fell to the ground.