LA fire badly damages retreat house, but biggest blessing is everybody's safe, priest says

LOS ANGELES (OSV News) -- When Passionist Father Febin Barose first stepped outside the Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre and saw the flames from the Eaton Fire far away, he thought they'd be OK.

But the heavy winds quickly changed that line of thinking.

"We never thought that this was going to happen," Father Barose said. "I thought it was just on the hillside. But the wind did not help us at all. It was burning so fast. It was just an orange line far away behind two or three mountains. But in 30-40 minutes, it was right close."

Father Barose spoke to Angelus, the Los Angeles archdiocesan news outlet, after surveying significant damage to the retreat center by the Eaton Fire, which has torn through more than 13,000 acres so far. Father Barose had to evacuate Mater Dolorosa on the evening of Jan. 7 and saw the fire and water damage to the facility on the morning of Jan. 8.

According to CBS News late Jan. 10, the Los Angeles County coroner's office is investigating 11 wildfire-related deaths; six of the deaths are from the Eaton Fire and five are from the Palisades Fire.

Father Barose said the main retreat center is still standing, but the workers' apartments, garage, and hermitage were burned up, while the administrative offices and one of the conference spaces suffered heavy fire and water damage.

The spacious and picturesque outdoor gardens are also gone, he said.

What's still in doubt is the condition of the property's ancient fig tree -- the "old rubber tree" that housed the first retreat at Mater Dolorosa -- since Father Barose wasn't able to view the entire property on his return.

"That's a good question," he said.

Since it opened 100 years ago in 1924, Mater Dolorosa has been run by the Passionists, a centuries-old religious order of priests. The 83-acre location frequently hosts parish and high school retreats, addiction and recovery programs, and special events. Located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, the campus includes guest rooms, conference spaces, a chapel, gardens, an amphitheater and its popular outdoor Stations of the Cross.

Two groups totaling 60 people were on retreat at the center at the time of the evacuation, Father Barose said, many of them elderly, which made it difficult when it came time to evacuate. But the staff at the center rallied and everyone made it out safely, including finding hotel rooms for the Passionist community members.

Father Barose said they don't know what will happen next and are still regrouping, but tried to look at the situation with eyes of faith.

They're still waiting for the evacuation order to be lifted and for power and water to return, but they're ready to start the clean-up effort. Supporters have volunteered to help clean up and fundraise.

"There are things that we can't comprehend but we know and can be confident that God still loves us," Father Barose said. "I see lots of God's love and grace coming through support from different people. The biggest blessing is that everybody's safe."

At nearby St. Rita Church in Sierra Madre, Father Tom Baker, pastor, said that flames came "within a couple of blocks" from the parish and school, but so far have been largely spared, while extending prayers and support for all those affected by the fires.

Father Baker said he was at a parent-teacher meeting Jan. 7 at St. Rita's School when others began receiving notices of power outages and evacuation orders. Seeing the flames from the parish, the priest evacuated later that evening.

Since evacuation orders are still in place in the area, Father Baker doesn't know when the parish or school might reopen, but said they'll assess the damage and how they can support parishioners and the community when that time comes.

In the meantime, school leaders have organized a daily Zoom rosary to pray for all those affected and to keep the school community engaged. Until then, they wait.

"We're going to try to assess all that once we get back, but it's hard to know," Father Baker said. "I don't even know if we're going to have services this weekend. Which is a sad thing, because at this time it's really what people need."

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has announced a special dedicated fund "to support parishes and schools impacted by the fires." To donate, go to the donation portal at https://lacatholics.org/california-fires.