Greene County's oldest Catholic church catches fire

A fire broke out at St. Ann Church — the oldest Catholic Church in Greene County — Saturday night, halting Masses and leaving the building damaged.

In a release, the Diocese of Pittsburgh said the main body of the church appears to be intact, but certain adjoining areas suffered extensive damage. No one was hurt in the incident.

WTAE

Though the main area of Saint Ann Church appears intact, several adjoining zones suffered severe fire damage.

Pastor Tom Lewandowski told TribLive news partner WTAE that most of the damage occurred in the basement of the church in addition to some minor damage to windows and the top portion of the building.

The diocese said all Masses at Saint Ann are canceled this week, and a Jubilee Mass scheduled for Sept. 6 will be postponed.

Lewandowski told WTAE those services will be temporarily moved to other nearby churches as restoration begins.

“It was unbelievable,” he told WTAE. “It was very devastating, but you know, very thankful that there was no loss of life, no injuries, nothing like that. Everything inside the church that was damaged can be replaced.”

WTAE

Masses at Saint Ann Church in Waynesburg are temporarily canceled.

Now part of Saint Matthias Parish, the church was founded in 1839.

Pennsylvania State Police are investigating to determine the cause of the fire, the diocese said.