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Oct 20, 2009 4:52 pm US/Central
Contribution Helps Burned Oak Cliff Church Rebuild
OAK CLIFF (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
It's been more than two years since St. Cecilia's Church in Oak Cliff was struck by lightning and burned.
Members of the community have been struggling to raise money to help with a new building. But part of that struggle recently ended when another church announced it will make a big contribution.
A once unscathed St. Cecilia's sat at 635 Mary Cliff Road, but after the fire the building had to be demolished and now there's only a prayer garden in its place. In August of 2007, the church burned down. Since then, church members have been patiently waiting for a new place to worship.
"What compromises the church is the people," explained St. Cecilia's Pastor Edmundo Paredes. "The building, while important, is secondary." Even with his statement of faith, Father Paredes says his congregation needs a place to worship.
The 2,000 families that attend St. Cecilia's have been forced to hold services inside the school's gym and cafeteria. "We miss the church. It was hard to see it go down," church parishioner Araceli Dominguez said.
So far, the church has raised about $4 million of the $7 million needed for a new building. "We have low-income working families here. The donations are low," said Dominguez.
But this past weekend brought good news, that's when Christ the King Church, in the Preston Hollow neighborhood of Dallas, announced plans to raise about $1 million to help St. Cecilia's.
With the recession church leaders say the donation will be a big help. "It's extremely difficult with these economic times," explained Father Paredes. "With this recession going on, so many have been unemployed. They're willing to give, but unfortunately, they can't."
Construction on the new St. Cecilia's is scheduled to begin next month.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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