(January 20, 2009) - Surreal. This is probably the word that summed up the day in Libertytown, MD on Thursday, June 3, 2004 when the inconceivable happened. Routine repairs to the roof were underway and the final touches were being welded together. Non-routine were the sparks left smoldering during a lunch break that grew into a devastating fire in just minutes. After 133 years of serving as a communal icon in the center of town, St. Peter the Apostle had been reduced to ashes.

The story of St. Peter begins in England with William Coale. Catholics in England suffered an unfavorable status and like many faithful Catholics, William set sail for the “New World” in hopes of religious freedom and initially settled in Jamestown, VA as a Quaker. After being persecuted as non-Anglican, the Coale family relocated to Maryland, which was considered a safe haven for Catholics. Lord Baltimore made large tracts of land available for Catholics to live safely and to colonize the area near the disputed border with Pennsylvania.

Eventually a town called Duke's Woods was renamed to “Libertytown” in the fervor that followed the Revolutionary War victory and a third generation Coale inherited the land and houses. The Coales donated a parcel of land and paid to have the first church, which was stone, built in Libertytown. Years later, another Coale descendant donated $15,000 so that a new brick church could be built, which was dedicated on Sunday, July 2, 1871. This was the present day church and served the parish until the fire in June 2004.

The parish was overwhelmed with the surrealism of events that took place that first week of June. The Sunday before the fire, Monsignor John Dietzenbach had announced that he would be moving to a new parish after serving St. Peter for ten and a half years. This was certainly hard news for many to swallow as Monsignor John had become a prominent part of their lives and the surrounding community. Now, less than a week later, the main building on their campus and their primary area of worship stood partially collapsed and severely burned. All that remained was a brick shell.

At least that was the first impression – that everything had been lost and all that stood was the shell of the old church. Thankfully, the building was vacant and no one had been hurt in the fire. The parish quickly transformed their grief into hope and motivation. By the end of the day there were already discussions of how to rebuild the church and move forward. The devastating event served as a platform to further strengthen the parish and their faith.

As the ashes cooled and water still dripped from the building, leaders of the church assessed the damage. To their surprise, a large oil painting of the crucifixion had actually survived the intense flames, however, suffered water damage from the firefighters. Nancy Pollack, a parishioner and artist, carefully removed the painting the next day and took it back to her studio in an effort to save the masterpiece. Other items were also deemed salvageable and put on a list of things to save and restore.

By Sunday, June 6, 2004, a crisis management plan, which hadn't previously existed, had been implemented with perfection. The St. Peter the Apostle parish never missed a beat in their daily list of events and activities that took place. Monsignor John was seamlessly relocated to an adjacent residence, since the rectory was also damaged by the intensity of the flames, and the parish center was converted into a sanctuary for Sunday worship services. Now it was time to think about the future of their charred church.

Initially, it became very apparent and logical to purchase an adjacent parcel of land from a local farmer. A plan quickly came together to build a new church, similar to that of St. Ignatius in Hickory, on the purchased land. The church and the farmer shook hands on an agreed purchase price and planning continued.

Amidst the excitement of building a new church, Monsignor John recalls the looming question of what to do with the burned building that stood condemned on their campus. Perhaps it could be knocked down, but certainly not without a lot of resistance since it was an historic icon. And renovating an old building was undoubtedly expensive, an expense that would be hard to fund after purchasing land and building a new church.

As the weeks passed, a formal, written contract for the land purchase went unproduced. Eventually the farmer demanded a new price nearly double from the original agreement and the deal dissolved. It was back to the drawing board for the parish. Around this same time, the Archdiocese of Baltimore's Division of Facilities Management had worked with the parish to secure Rubeling & Associates to design a new facility. Rubeling had worked with the parish before on other buildings and was a good fit for their current need. The architectural firm went to work generating possibilities for the new church.

With the vacant parcel of land no longer an option, it became apparent that the existing building would need to be renovated or replaced. This also addressed the looming question of what to do with the burnt building. Al Rubeling, principal of Rubeling & Associates, recalls when he came up with the idea of two entrances and a second steeple tower. “I was at an Orioles game and it hit me – save the existing, historic front façade while creating a new and open entrance that provides safe access from the parking lot,” stated Rubeling. This concept allowed the historic entrance of the church to remain along the now busy Rt. 75, while creating a new entrance on the south side of the building. This concept was embraced by the congregation allowing them to keep part of their historic church while also getting a newly expanded facility to serve their current needs. A central stair hall and narthex joins the two towers.

As the design continued to evolve, Oak Contracting was brought on as Construction Manager. Oak had worked on several previous projects with the Archdiocese of Baltimore and had also worked with Rubeling on the design and construction of the new church for St. Ignatius in Hickory. “They were an obvious choice for the St. Peter team,” explained Monsignor John.

“As Construction Manager, we like to provide a ‘hands-on' approach during design and construction,” stated Jim Folkemer, Oak's project manager for St. Peter. It was this hands-on approach during the design phase that allowed Oak's pre-construction department the opportunity to identify several oversized steel beams configuring the arch span above the new nave. The beams are so large that they are only manufactured a few times annually. Knowing the tight schedule that had been developed by the parish, Oak felt it was imperative to develop an early steel package in order to get the beams into production. This allowed them to be available when it came time to install the steel frame in the new part of the building.

In addition to an early steel package, there were other non-typical components to the St. Peter project. The parish campus is situated on both sides of Rt. 75. To the east, the church is situated on a tight site surrounded by the cemetery, rectory, and a private residence. Staging construction activities and providing site access had to be carefully detailed in the plan. “A new part of the building, back near the adoration chapel, sits so close to the cemetery that we had to use ground radar systems to survey for tombs,” recalls Ron Long, Oak's superintendent. The new building is nearly three times that of the original church and takes up every available square inch of the site. “Even with the tombs marked, we excavated each scoop of dirt with precaution to ensure nothing was disturbed,” stated Long. A test pit was dug to expose the corner of a vault on one tomb, which is a foot and a half from the new building.

During early phases of construction, the existing part of the building, which was to remain, had to be secured using extensive steel shoring. Additionally, since the church was built in the mid 1800s, the stone foundations had to be underpinned and secured with concrete in order to save the existing steeple tower and support the weight of the new structure. A half million dollar contingency was set aside simply for the shoring of the existing structure. The shoring and temporary steel frame held the history of St. Peter together while the back portion of the burnt building was demolished and a foundation was installed for the new addition. The temporary shoring proved successful during many wind storms and was removed once the existing building was securely tied into the new steel frame in July 2007. Once the contingency was released, the parish used the funds to add steeples to both towers and install solid wood wainscoting throughout the nave.

As construction progressed, the new portion of the building began to take on the qualities of the original church. The intricate roofline and masonry details mimic the original church with exacting details. George Moehrle Masonry not only matched the brick color, but also the ornate arches, corbels, and intricate dentils that were part of the original building. Inside, the new church is open and expansive. It gleams with many luxuries of modern buildings while incorporating its historic past. Modern day technologies include an automated HVAC system, programmable lighting, a high-tech sound system, and comprehensive fire suppression.

While the inside of the new church hardly resembles its predecessor, the new 33,421 square feet facility can seat 803 worshippers. And, as those worshippers gaze at its inner beauty, they'll be reminded of the St. Peter the Apostle that once stood on the same sacred ground for the previous two centuries. The Stations of the Cross that surround the sanctuary look brand new in all of their glory, however, were carefully removed and restored before being reinstalled. The beautiful back-lit stained glass behind the votive candles was also reused from the old church. In fact, while many of the former stained glass windows were broken in the fire, pieces were saved and used around the tabernacle. In addition to salvaging sentimental items from the fire, twelve stained glass windows were purchased from St. Pius V in downtown Baltimore before that parish was closed and sold. And the painting of the crucifixion that was removed the day after the fire was completely restored and now hangs prominently in the daily mass chapel.

The new and improved St. Peter the Apostle was officially blessed into service by Archbishop O'Brien on Sunday, September 7, 2008. The Rite of Dedication began at the front door of the church where Al Rubeling presented the Archbishop with the architectural plans of the church followed by Ron Long, presenting the construction documents. Finally, Chuck O'Connor, chairman of the Building Committee, and Mike Riley, president of the Pastoral Council, presented Archbishop O'Brien with the keys to the new church. The Archbishop then proceeded to call upon Monsignor John to open the doors and invited those assembled to enter the new church for the remainder of the dedication and mass.

So, after four years of being displaced and enduring the nuisances of daily construction activity, the parish at St. Peter the Apostle has a new communal icon that stands tall with two steeple towers along the Libertytown skyline. In all its grandiose style, it most certainly catches the eye of each passerby and is an awe inspiring experience for those who venture inside. St. Peter himself stands proudly at the front entrance and is sure to look after the new church for centuries to come.

For More Information: St. Peter the Apostle - Fire Stories