Parishioners at a Baltimore County church said their community remains "Dundalk Strong" after a fire caused by lightning broke out at the 103-year-old church on Tuesday. 

St. Rita's Church stands right in the heart of old Dundalk. This parish community said the church has fought to remain open as the diocese consolidates, and it will fight through this minor setback, too.

WJZ's Tara Lynch was at the church on Wednesday and saw the altar and crucifix covered in soot. The fire caused damage to the steeple and the choir loft of the historic building. 

"This will just make us stronger," said Denise Szimanski, the office manager at Our Lady of Hope Church and a parishioner at St. Rita's.

After the word got out, phone calls, texts, and social media comments flooded the church office. The community came out in solidarity and support, asking how it could help this pillar of Dundalk.

A vigil mass at Our Lady of Hope School is planned for Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Fire at St. Rita's Catholic Church

Firefighters responded to St. Rita's Church in the 2900 block of Dunleer Road in Dundalk around 2:45 p.m. Firefighters said heavy smoke was showing from the building when they arrived.

The fire was under control by 3:40 p.m., and no injuries were reported, according to Baltimore County Fire Chief Joe Dixon. However, a firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion.

The church office received a call saying the building was on fire, which is when Father Kevin Muller hopped in the car to drive the short two miles down Merritt Boulevard.

"I saw all the trucks out here and the engines and everything, and I knew it was kind of bad," said Muller, the pastor of Our Lady of Hope and St. Rita's Church.

Lightning causes church fire

On Thursday, Baltimore County Fire officials confirmed that several lightning strikes were reported within .1 miles of the church minutes before the fire was reported.

"It's lightning hit up high, came down…a cable inside," Muller said. "The cable went down…into a big box that has a computerized system to ring the bells. It totally fried that box, melted everything in there, and then caught everything else on fire."

The choir loft sustained the most damage, which is where the church stores holiday decorations. 

Some windows and the steeple also suffered some damage. Soot shades the marble inside, and the smell of smoke fills the church built in 1949.

The cornerstone of Dundalk

Many parishioners say it's a blessing the church is still standing, and that it could've been a lot worse.

Szimanski, one of five generations of her family who have worshiped at the church, said that when she walked inside after the fire, she noticed the sanctuary lamp was still lit, a sign the eucharist is present, and for this church, a renewed sign of hope.

In the rubble of the holiday decorations, Szimanski found an important piece of the church, which comforted her.  

"I had to find our nativity scene, and I did. The fact that it wasn't damaged or ruined is a sign of hope," Szimanski said.

Marie Marucci remembers her first service at St. Rita's on Sept. 15, 1991, which is the day her then-boyfriend proposed to her after Sunday Mass. She later got married there, and has attended St. Rita's ever since, and serves as the sacristan.

She calls this congregation her family, which has helped her through many difficult times, including when her husband passed away from cancer.

"Everyone here…was very welcoming and friendly," Marucci said. "That's just how this community is, and it's always been that way since I first came here."

Parishioners say the building is more than brick and mortar; it is the foundation of the neighborhood that brings everyone together.

"It's the cornerstone of old Dundalk," Szimanski said. "Every family that's associated with St Rita's will tell you the same story. It's a part of our lives. It's a part of our families. It's an extension of ourselves."

Baltimore Archdiocese consolidation plan

St. Rita's was established in 1922, according to the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

The Catholic church was one of several that were part of a consolidation plan in December. The archdiocese's "Seek the City to Come" plan consolidated 61 parishes into 30 worship sites. 

St. Rita's Merged with Our Lady of Hope, St. Luke, and Sacred Heart of Mary, though the St. Rita's Church building still serves as an additional worship site. 

"We have a future"

The church community said it will rebuild and hold services here full-time again. Of course, this will take time as the clean-up and restoration begin.

"We have a future," Marucci said. "We still have a place to worship, eventually again, and we will come back, because with Saint Rita as our patron saint, she will see that happens.".

St. Rita is the patron saint of impossible causes and difficult situations.

Sunday morning Mass will move to Our Lady of Hope until St. Rita's is back open.