St. Teresa’s Parish church will be going ahead with a regular service tonight at 7 p.m. after tropical storm Leslie ripped a layer of steel off its roof Tuesday.
“This could have been a whole lot worse,” said Father Leo English.
“We are blessed here at St. Teresa’s. We always have been. It’s a great parish with tremendous outpouring of support.”
The steel roof — a layer of plates screwed together and installed east to west over the shingled roof — was insured and English said the congregation’s thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by Leslie.
Staff were in the church when they heard the loud racket of the steel roof coming apart. No one was injured and nothing was damaged inside.
A crane lifted the steel layer off the church today and it weighed 3,800 pounds.
After peeling back during the storm, the steel plates wrapped themselves around the sanctuary area, the highest portion of the church.
“It’s God’s grace the steel landed where it did,” English said. “It protected the windows in the highest part of the church. We’re very, very grateful.”
The steel was attached about two years ago to protect the roof from the wind and rain St. Teresa’s is subjected to on regularly because of the elevation and the proximity to Mundy Pond, English said.
The contractor was to gum up any holes where the steel was attached to protect the shingles and a new steel roof ordered.
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