Gift of life gives parish priest best Christmas ever

A Christmas miracle, at least that’s what some are calling the apparent case of divine intervention that spared the life of one local Catholic priest.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Rev. Jeremy St. Martin, pastor of Townsend’s St. John the Evangelist Church, is lucky to be alive after a multialarm fire ripped through the parish rectory early Monday morning.

Remarkably, Rev. St. Martin suffered just minor injuries while trying to douse the inferno.

Megan Barnes, a friend of St. Martin’s, told the newspaper the priest suffered burns on both of his hands after trying to put the blaze out himself. He was then transported to Nashoba Valley Medical Center where he was treated and released.

The rectory, believed to be one of the oldest buildings in town, was gutted by the four- alarm blaze, according to fire officials.

Townsend Fire Chief

Mark Boynton said crews were called to the church rectory on School Street at 1: 51 a. m. for a report of a fire that quickly went to four alarms.

Extensive flames engulfed all three floors of the rectory, making it a total loss, added Boynton, who said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

It took mutual aid from nine area fire departments, including firefighters from Fitchburg, Brookline, N. H., Groton, Pepperell, Ashby and Shirley, to finally extinguish the blaze.

Church Deacon Charles Kelley said the reverend was the only person in the rectory when the fire started and was awoken by alarms going off. “Thank God that alerted him to the fire.’’

St. Martin grabbed a fire extinguisher and tried to put out the fire, and he had some success until the extinguisher stopped working. He then tried to grab another extinguisher and used his hands to pat out flames on a piece of furniture, and that’s how he burned his hands, Kelley said.

At that point, the fire got “so out of control’’ that St. Martin fled the building. “It was pretty violent,’’ said Kelley, who expressed relief that the parish will be able to celebrate Christmas with St. Martin instead of planning his funeral.

“Thank God he’s OK,’’ Kelley said of his parish priest. “We can rebuild a rectory; we can’t replace . . . A Christmas miracle, that’s what I’m calling it.’’

Both he and St. Martin have been touched by the “outpouring of support from parishioners’’ in the aftermath of the blaze.

They’ve been calling and dropping off items for St. Martin, who lost all of his belongings in the blaze, including his wallet. Kelley said someone dropped off a pair of shoes, and another left a replacement wallet full of cash. “It’s an expression of love for their pastor, which is so good to see.’’

And despite this traumatic incident, St. Martin, who’s currently staying at the Our Lady of Grace rectory in Pepperell, intends to celebrate Masses at his home church as scheduled this week. Plans for services in Townsend are still “full steam ahead,” according to Kelley, with Christmas Masses planned for 4 p.m. Thursday and 7 p.m. Friday.

“From out of the fire into the pulpit,’’ Kelley said. “It should be a good homily.’’

Of all the gifts that can be bestowed, none can equal the gift of life. Father St. Martin has now personally experienced the joy of that early Christmas present, and the transitory, superficial nature of material possessions, which no doubt he’ll mention in those Christmas homilies.

A Christmas miracle? We doubt you’ll get an argument from the Rev. Jeremy St. Martin.