Historic Catholic Church in Lahaina Miraculously Untouched by Maui Wildfires

 

Maria Lanakila Catholic Church-Image: Screenshot @HawaiiBrunoldSquad/TikTok

Devastating wildfires in Hawaii that have left at least 80 dead with approximately 1,000 people still unaccounted for.

Maria Lanakila Catholic Church, which opened in 1846, was miraculously untouched amidst the devastation surrounding it after wildfires ravaged the area.

Directly across the street from Maria Lanakila Catholic Church-Image: Screenshot @HawaiiBrunoldSquad/TikTok

 

Video of the still standing church was captured and posted to TikTok.

@hawaiibrunoldsquad Lahaina Church was saved . Jax was babtized here #mauifire #lahainahawaii #hawaiibrunoldsquad ♬ original sound – HawaiiBrunoldSquad

 

The New York Post reports:

When the camera pans around, the rest of the town — the largest tourist destination on Maui — looks like a smoldering hellscape of rubble.

Viewers hailed the jaw-dropping miracle as an act of God.

“A def sign from God,” one TikTok user wrote, adding, “he is with you. hold on and keep that faith. we are all praying for you.”

The Pillar spoke with Msgr. Terrence Watanabe, pastor of the nearby parish of St. Anthony’s Who shared,”Basically what we know is the fact that all of Lahaina Town has been consumed by fire. It’s all gone. The church, Maria Lanakila [Our Lady of Victory], is still standing, as is the rectory. The school’s been a little bit affected. They’re still not allowing people to drive into Lahaina. And then 36 people are dead, that they’ve reported, and about 271 facilities have been impacted, not to mention all the cars that are still on the streets, that also got burned.”