St. Mary of Czestochowa Church in New Kensington was reconsecrated Aug. 26 by Bishop Larry Kulick of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg.
The large brick church on Kenneth Avenue suffered $3 million in damages on April 8, 2020, when an EF-1 tornado — with winds of up to 100 mph — tore through New Kensington. About half of the church’s roof was blown off and a substantial portion of the belfry came down.
The church reopened in November 2022 but repairs and renovations continued.
During the Aug. 26 reconsecration ceremony, Kulick gave a brief introduction outside the church and sprinkled Holy Water around the front of the building and on the crowd waiting to enter.
After a ceremonial knock on the door with his staff, Kulick and priests from other New Kensington Catholic churches and the Greensburg Diocese, along with former pastors, entered the building with altar servers and the congregation.
As part of the service, Kulick also spread holy oil at various premarked locations on the interior walls on all sides of the church as well as spreading incense throughout the church and around the altar.
