St. Stephen’s is a Gothic Revival style church, built over 80 years ago in what was once the German settlement of New Coeln on Milwaukee’s far south side. The parish serves about 900 families.
On April 24th, a lightning strike started a fire in the steeple. The weather cam at TV station WISN Channel 12 captured the strike.
Father Liska saw the lightning strike.
“All of a sudden, there was a big bang and I looked out the windows. The windows in my office were shaking. A lightning bolt came right across eye level,” Father Liska said.
The church has a history that goes back more than 100 years and it’s been hit by fires and even a tornado before.
It was built in 1926 after a fire took down the previous church. The building is still standing, and Father Richard Liska says there’s not much damage inside.
By the time firefighters extinguished the blaze, the church had sustained approximately $200,000 worth of damage.
St. Stephen Catholic Church was going to be torn down to make room for hotels. Parishioners were planning to move to a new church being built in Oak Creek.
Still, it was hard for Donna Morris to watch her childhood church burn.
“I got my holy communion in that church. My sister was married in that church,” she said. “Sitting here looking at that building, it just breaks my heart. It breaks my heart.”
The folks at St. Stephen are building a new church, but it won’t be ready for a year. Fortunately, the interior of this church is still usable. They managed to rescue the cross before the steeple collapsed.
Thanks to Lucy at City of Steeples, Flikr user Retinal Fetish, WISN Channel 12 and WTMJ Channel 4.
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