CV NEWS FEED // A Los Angeles Fire Department captain salvaged a tabernacle Jan. 11 from the rubble of Corpus Christi Church in Pacific Palisades.
The Palisades Fire, which broke out Jan. 7, left widespread destruction in its wake, including the complete loss of Corpus Christi Church. The blaze was part of the series of California wildfires that have claimed the lives of at least 24 people, burned thousands of acres, and forced the closure of 90 Catholic schools.
Captain Bryan Nassour, stationed across the street from the church, discovered the tabernacle atop the granite altar while searching the ruins for anything to salvage and protect from looters, Angelus News reported. Despite the church’s near-total destruction — with the nave buried under 6 feet of rubble and only the altar left standing — the tabernacle remained intact, still containing the Blessed Sacrament.
While brass is resilient under intense heat, Nassour suggested there might be another explanation for the tabernacle’s survival.
“Talk to any firefighter,” he told Angelus News. “In any religious building what usually survives is the cross and certain specific items that are highly religious, unless they’ve been specifically set on fire.”
After securing the tabernacle with help from his crew, Nassour contacted Monsignor Liam Kidney, pastor of Corpus Christi, who was astonished to learn of its survival. Monsignor Kidney recounted Nassour calling him to ask, “I have found this big gold box. What would you like me to do with it?”
Nassour, a member of St. Francis de Sales Church in Sherman Oaks, explained his decision to act.
“I did it because the whole community has been decimated — it looks like a nuclear bomb has gone off and nothing is standing,” he said.
Nassour shared with Angelus News that his brother belongs to Corpus Christi Church.
“My brother lost his home,” he said. “I have close friends who lost everything but the shirts on their backs, and they belong to that church too. So, if I could save just one thing, let it be this, so they have something to believe in.”
Nassour and his team also retrieved three unbroken containers of holy oils, though other sacred objects like chalices and patens sustained significant damage.
His team coming together to help him with the task was extremely uplifting, according to Nassour.
“Not everyone is religious,” he said, “but they saw that and they’re like, ‘This is awesome.’ We’re doing something — at least one thing — that we can salvage for the community.”
The tabernacle was brought to St. Monica Church in Santa Monica and displayed at a Jan. 12 Mass for survivors.