Gwenda Costello, who with her husband Terry, have a farm near Seddon has told NZ Catholic that she thought the Catholic Church at Ward — south of Seddon — was probably a write-off.
The initial earthquake was a vicious, violent one, she said.
Even though the statues and other items were tied down, “the statue of Our Lady came down and was damaged at the back, and all the crosses were thrown about 12 feet around”, Mrs Costello said.
As well, a large cross on the roof at the rear end of the church came down.
David Mullins Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington’s Director of support services says they are waiting for “assessments on church buildings. There are reports of structural damage to the Ward Church. There has been minor damage to other buildings in the wider region, the extent of this is still to be confirmed.Source.”
“The Archdiocese will contact all parishes to ask them to look for any signs of damage to assess the need for a check by a structural engineer,” Mullins says.
Source
Related Posts:
News category: New Zealand, Top Story.
