Father Jimmy Drennan is thanking God after narrowly escaping an explosion that destroyed his rectory in San Antonio, Texas, just minutes after he left to celebrate Saturday evening Mass.
The Archdiocese of San Antonio said the explosion occurred around 3 p.m. Saturday at the rectory on Fair Avenue, about five minutes from St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, where Drennan serves as pastor.
According to the archdiocese, Drennan had just left the residence to prepare for the parish’s vigil Mass when the explosion occurred.
“He had left the residence — located about 5 minutes from the parish — just moments before the incident to prepare for the vigil Mass at the church. The explosion was reported to authorities by a neighbor, and when Father Jimmy returned to the scene, the interior of the structure was engulfed in flames,” the statement said.
“No one was injured in the fire, which is still under investigation, and insurance will assess the damages, which are significant. No other homes in the neighborhood were damaged,” the statement added.
Drennan, who was an officer with the San Antonio Police Department before becoming a pastor, said he was moved by the show of support from the community after the explosion.
“I’m very thankful for their prayers and their concern. I am fine,” he told KSAT. “The prayers of the community is very, very appreciated.”
Even though the rectory suffered significant damage, Drennan told parishioners on Sunday that he was glad the fire did not spread to his neighbors’ homes.
“Everything inside the rectory can be replaced,” he said. “My biggest concern was that no officer was injured and none of the neighbors were affected.”
He also used the explosion to highlight the tragedy of the recent earthquakes in Venezuela, which haves left more than 1,700 people dead.
“To our brothers and sisters in Venezuela who are suffering tragedies far beyond what this little fire was,” Drennan said. “It was a tragedy, yes, but we need to really give our prayerful and our financial support to so many people in Venezuela in every way possible.”
Last Wednesday, twin 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes struck northern Venezuela. The Venezuelan government confirmed the latest death toll as rescue teams and the families of the missing continue their search for survivors.
Gianluca Rampolla Del Tinardo, the United Nations resident coordinator for Venezuela, said they are securing 10,000 body bags in anticipation of the death toll rising.
In the coastal state of La Guaira, Mireya Quesada Sojo, a civilian rescuer, told the U.N. how difficult the job has been.
“At first, we started digging with our bare hands, trying to recover our family members,” she explained. “We know they are no longer alive, but we just have to be able to see them again, even if it’s sad. So, we are asking for assistance to see if we can dig them out. People have come to help and we are deeply grateful.”
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