Mass goes on at Holy Name as officials hone in on fire's cause

Parishioners worshiped Thursday morning at Chicago's iconic Roman Catholic Holy Name Cathedral, undeterred by an attic fire a day earlier that left holes in the roof and led to a water-damaged sanctuary.

Carla Kupe-Arion, 28, who has been coming to the cathedral since 2005, joined dozens of parishioners at morning Mass in the cathedral's adjacent parish center, using plastic and metal chairs for pews and a concrete floor to kneel. Work crews assessing damage blocked the church's main entrance.

A day earlier, firefighters battled the blaze in frigid temperatures at the Gothic revival-style church for more than two hours. The flames severely damaged the attic and left gaping holes in the roof. The smell of charred wood lingered outside the cathedral's massive bronze doors hours later.

Church officials have not offered an estimate of the full extent of the damage, but Archdiocese Chancellor Jimmy Lago said he expected the cathedral to be closed for months.

Fire investigators, though, are making some headway in trying to determine what caused this blaze. They say that they have ruled out arson as a cause of the fire, but now they are looking at the de-icing unit on the roof of the church as a possible cause of the fire.

As workers begin the arduous task of cleaning up the water-damaged sanctuary, many parishioners of Holy Name Cathedral, once again displaced by fate, came to pray.

"And I just thank God, I shouldn't thank God, but I just hope that it will be soon," said parishioner Luisita Del Rosario.

"I think we're all lucky that the building is still hit, but nobody was hurt. That's the main thing. We'll see which way it goes," said Tom Daly, parishioner.

The fire comes as restoration and repair work on the building continues after engineers found structural weaknesses in the roof that caused a 10-pound piece of decorative wood to fall from the ceiling last February.

Holy Name's pastor, Father Daniel Mayall, said the cost to repairs and the extent of damage have yet to be determined.

"The physical recovery, we're relying on the diocese and construction people that we worked with before, and that's all underway right now," he said. "We got to figure out what we need to do to make sure the support systems are set, structural engineers looking at it right now, and then they have to determine what caused it."

Fire investigators were examining the electrical wiring of the cathedral's de-icing system. It's possible the system, which is on the roof, could have malfunctioned or overheated.

Some say the shuttering of what's considered to be the spiritual center for many of Chicago's Roman Catholics is the latest test of their faith.

"I'm terribly, terribly upset. We haven't even finished our restoration, you know? And here we are again" said parishioner Jean Valaitas.

The original Holy Name was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and the parish rebuilt. The new cathedral opened in 1875.

Restoration and repair work on the building had been ongoing after engineers determined structural weaknesses in the roof caused a 10-pound piece of decorative wood to fall 70 feet from the ceiling last February.

According to the church's Web site, a 2006 engineering study found "several critical items" in need of updates, including fire protection in the rectory and replacement of the roof membrane. The church had already replaced its floors and refinished pews.

The last major renovation took place in 1968.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=269408">Iconic Chicago church damaged in fire <span class="date">[02/04/09]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>