When the historic and venerable Church of Notre Dame in Paris was ravaged by a devastating fire last week it no doubt awakened some painful memories for the parishioners and congregants of St. Boniface Catholic Church and the Pine Street United Methodist Church that suffered their own devastating fires on December 5, 1972 and February 13, 1977.

Inevitably, there is a feeling of a sense of loss, shock and great sadness and the members of three churches mentioned above most certainly felt these emotions and many more. The Church of Notre Dame, of course, is an exceptional case because it is one of the most magnificent architectural works of Western civilization. It is an embodiment of “La Belle France” and its history. French kings and Emperor Napoleon were crowned here. It is the site of great celebration as well. It is where Charles DeGaulle celebrated the liberation of Paris in 1944, and a special Mass is held there every Bastille Day. Priceless religious and art pieces are housed there, among them the Crown of Thorns and a piece of the True Cross; fortunately, these latter two items were saved from the ravages of the fire by the heroic efforts of first responders.

This tragic fire has moved the entire world. Already more than one billion dollars have been pledged to finance the restoration of this great landmark. This incident has touched off something in people across the world. A sense of appreciation for one of the most beautiful and famous “World Heritage Sites.” There is a loving and reverential commitment to restore this symbol of what is the best in mankind.

This brings us back to how the members of St. Boniface, Pine Street and other churches that have suffered similar calamities responded to those tragedies. They did not give up. Even though they had suffered an unspeakable loss, they were all determined to rebuild and had their churches undergo a type of rebirth. They all learned the lesson that a church is more than just a building, that it is people, a community of believers who have a common faith to do good for others and give each other solace in times of trouble. There was never any question about the rebuilding of these churches. Even though the new edifices of these churches lack the character and historic majesty of the original ones, the churches still serve their worship duties to God and their members, and that is as it should be.

Since the Easter season has just recently passed it might be instructive to assert that efforts to restore these churches and other ones that have been damaged or destroyed by fire and other disasters through the years might serve as a metaphor for their own renewal, for the religion that they serve was born in the ashes of a crucifixion and martyrdom and renewed and restored through the resurrection of a Savior.