GREENDALE, Wisc. — Considered one of the most sacred celebrations in Christianity, Holy Week is arguably one of the busiest times of year for any church.
But earlier this week, St. Alphonsus in Greendale faced a disaster that could have derailed their plans.
"I kind of sat there for a minute, just kind of stood there and took it all in and was kind of shocked,” said Father Kevin McManaman, Pastor, St. Alphonsus Parish.
The parish parking lot was filled on Good Friday, but just three days before, that may not have been the case after the church's sump pump failed and flooded their main worship space.
“It seemed like a lot of water, it was a lot of water,” said Father McManaman.
Father McManaman posted pictures of the damage to the church's Facebook page.
“I told people if it froze, you could have skated on it down there,” said Father McManaman.
He knew he had to act fast.
“The wheels started turning and I said, 'Well, this is Holy Week and we have the most important celebrations this week, so what are we going to do?'" said Father McManaman.
Incredibly, this isn't the first time the church has dealt with a disaster so close to a major holiday.
In 2011, a fire just after the Christmas Eve mass caused nearly a million dollars in damages and shut down services for months.
That memory pushed parishioners like Amy Schermetzler to do whatever they could to get the sanctuary ready in time for the start of Holy Week.
“It is really kind of everyone's port in the storm for lack of a better term. Maybe that's apt, considering this week,” said Schermetzler.
She brought her family down to help vacuum the carpets and clean up the pews for the hundreds of expected churchgoers this weekend.
“This had the potential to really sideline things and make it be really kind of a big disaster. And instead, everyone kind of just came together and said, 'We're gonna make this happen, however, we have to make it happen.’” said Schermetzler.
After finishing up just before Holy Thursday services, Father McManaman and Amy say they are excited to celebrate Easter Sunday in peace.
“This has been a labor of love. It would have been a huge, huge disappointment to me and to many of us who have been preparing for these days to not be able to celebrate them in the way we've prepared them,” said Father McManaman.
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