St. Mary Parish to reopen this weekend after July tornado damage

Nearly two months after a July tornado damaged St. Mary Parish and forced worshippers to find a temporary place to worship, the church is preparing to reopen its doors this weekend.

The storm tore into the church’s steeple, roof and fascia, leaving crews with weeks of repairs, cleanup and work around scaffolding.

Parish leaders said the building’s structural integrity was never compromised.

Now, with the repairs complete, parishioners will return to their church — and to a place that leaders say has taken on a deeper meaning since the storm.