St. Joseph Catholic Church in East Bristol, Wisconsin, lost about half of its roof Monday night when a severe storm swept across the southern part of the state, according to WKOW, an ABC affiliate.
The 134-year-old parish, about 10 miles northeast of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, sustained major interior and exterior damage. Sun Prairie Fire and EMS confirmed to WMTV 15 News that no one was inside at the time of the storm.
Photos shared by the parish on Facebook showed large sections of the roof peeled away, exposing the attic and rafters. Interior images showed insulation had piled up near the altar, a light fixture had fallen in a pew, and windows throughout the sanctuary had broken. The neighboring rectory also had damage.
Karen Newel, a lifelong parishioner who was married at St. Joseph's, told WKOW in an April 14 interview that the damage was worse than what she saw online.
"It was more shocking in person," Newel said. "This whole roof is gone, and the pictures on Facebook just didn't show that."
"St. Joseph Church has served generations of Catholics in northeast Dane County, and we are heartbroken by the devastation," the Diocese of Madison said in a press release.
The diocesan office of buildings, construction, and real estate is coordinating the response with Catholic Mutual Group, the parish's insurer. Workers began emergency framing April 14 to protect the damaged structure before another round of storms was forecast for that evening.
The National Weather Service said the storm struck the area around 12:35 a.m. April 14, when a tornado warning was in effect, though it has not yet determined whether the damage was caused by a tornado or straight-line winds.
The parish was completed in 1890 and designed by Swiss-American architect Henry Messmer in the early Gothic Revival style, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society. The building has seen several additions over the years, including in 1965 and 2024, and is listed on both the National and State Historic Registers.