DAWSON SPRINGS, Ky. – Amid the rubble of Resurrection Catholic Church, a statue of the Virgin Mary still stands.
What You Need To Know
- Church building has to be completely rebuilt
- Statue been in place for eight years
- Will be moved during demolition and construction
- Pastor said it it a sign of hope
“Amen,” said Father David Kennedy, pastor of the church.
The church is destroyed. Kennedy said it has to be razed and completely rebuilt after being ravaged by the recent tornado that tore through Dawson Springs and other towns in western Kentucky. That statue, however, remains unmoved.
“We can’t save anything,” Kennedy said. “It all has to be gutted and rebuilt.”
The bronze statue sat in concrete is about three feet tall. Kennedy said the crew working to rebuild the church has had trouble moving it during the demolition process.
“The statue has been there for about eight years,” Kennedy said. “They were trying to get it out because we're going to have to get it out sooner, or later because we're going to have to bring a bulldozer in there and everything. They tried to get it out and still couldn't. Our own people couldn't get it out right now.”
Kennedy said the statue is a beautiful sign among the devastation in Dawson Springs he thinks offers optimism for the future.
“I feel like the statue is still standing is a sign of hope for a lot of people,” he said. “Mary's always our hope.”
Resurrection Catholic Church, at 530 Industrial Park Road, has about 70 parishioners. Kennedy said none of them were killed by the storms.