World News
No serious injuries reported from fire at Louisiana seminary
Published: September 28, 2012
ST. BENEDICT, La. (CNS) -- Fire heavily damaged the main administration building at St. Joseph Abbey early Sept. 26, but New Orleans Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond said there were no serious injuries and seminary educational activities at St. Joseph Seminary College would continue without interruption. The Pius X building, which has administrative offices and a number of seminarian dorm rooms, was heavily damaged by the fire. State fire marshals were on the scene to determine the cause of the fire, but Archbishop Aymond said speculation centered on a computer room, where a piece of equipment may have overheated. Roused from their bed by smoke alarms, 65 seminarians were evacuated safely from the building. Benedictine Father Gregory Bouquet, the seminary rector, was making plans to relocate the seminarians to other accommodations on the abbey grounds, perhaps to the Christian Life Center where retreats are held, Archbishop Aymond said. "There was a lot of damage in the main building, but thank God no one was hurt," Archbishop Aymond said. "It will probably be a couple of months for the repairs to be done. I think they're going to take this day to regroup, but formation and education will be uninterrupted."
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