“Talk to any firefighter. In any religious building what usually survives is the cross and certain specific items that are highly religious.”
After the Corpus Christi Church was reduced to rubble in the Palisades Fire, Los Angeles Fire Captain Bryan Nassour salvaged the church's tabernacle, buried beneath six feet of debris and ash.
“I did it because the whole community has been decimated — it looks like a nuclear bomb has gone off and nothing is standing,” said Nassour, a member of St. Francis de Sales Church in Sherman Oaks. Nassour’s brother, a Corpus Christi parishioner, lost his home in the fire, along with many others in the devastated community.
“My brother lost his home. 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 explained, according to Angelus News.
Sifting through the ruins, Nassour searched for meaningful items in hopes of finding something while also protecting any valuable belongings from looters. The church’s roof had collapsed, its pews destroyed, and its walls reduced to ash. Amid the devastation, the granite altar and the solid brass tabernacle atop it remained intact. The tabernacle, weighing over 300 pounds, required Nassour’s crew to assist in moving it to safety. The crew was able to move it into the station house.
“It was one of the most uplifting things,” he said. “Not everyone is religious, 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.”
Once the tabernacle was secured, Nassour informed Msgr. Liam Kidney of Corpus Christi Church of its safe recovery. “He was in utter disbelief,” Nassour said. After Nassour offered to continue sifting through the rubble, the priest informed him of where his crew could locate chalices and patens. Unfortunately, these items were severely damaged, though the team did recover three unbroken containers of holy oil.
“Talk to any firefighter. 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,” Nassour noted.
The tabernacle was later transported to St. Monica Church by Gabe Sanchez, a retired FBI agent working with the archdiocese. The following day, Msgr. Kidney held a Mass for fire survivors.
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