| Written by Carolyn Girard, The Catholic Register,
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 TORONTO - St. Norbert's Roman Catholic Church has acted as both a spiritual and physical stronghold in the weeks following Toronto's north-end propane storage plant explosion.
The church is located only a few blocks from where the explosion — which prompted a massive evacuation of more than 10,000 people — erupted on the property of Sunrise Propane Industrial Gases, destroying the site and damaging about 70 area homes.
People were literally shaken by the blast, which occurred shortly before 4 a.m. Aug. 10, some falling out of bed as the sound of the explosion ripped through the summer night air, windows in homes and businesses shattering.
Fr. Xavier De Pinto, pastor at St. Norbert, was no exception.
“The whole room shook,” he said. “But there has been no damage to the church.”
He said it seemed miraculous considering that houses across the road from the church suffered broken windows. This being the parish's 40th anniversary, St. Norbert's was outfitted with brand new windows and doors this past year. De Pinto said it was a relief that none of them were destroyed, although the blast caused a different kind of problem for the church that day.
For the first time in the parish's 40-year history, Sunday Masses were cancelled and people banned from the area.
“People go flock to the church in times of trial and we weren't able to go back,” he said. “And there are a lot of Italian Catholics in this neighbourhood. Everyone is on edge.”
The church reopened for daily Mass on the following Tuesday, drawing 300 attendees. The Mass was offered “for the repose of the soul of Mr. Bob Leek,” a firefighter of 25 years who died at the scene of the fire, and in remembrance of all parishioners who were still affected by the tragedy.
The Sunday closure of the parish meant that six Baptisms had to be rescheduled for the following Sunday, bringing that weekend's total to about a dozen.
While dealing with the shock of the tragedy himself, De Pinto said he was doing his best to help the people in his community deal with feelings of sadness, anger and frustration.
Many parishioners were still not allowed to return to their homes as the week unfolded, and the church hall served as a shelter.
“We opened the church hall on Monday so people could use the bathroom,” he said. “There was a pregnant woman who stayed here . . . our hall was a shelter for several families.”
Members of the newly established Knights of Columbus council helped distribute drinking water to the disaster refugees.
However, the parish was again rocked with anguish at the sudden death of parishioner Patrizia Loconte, who had attended the Tuesday remembrance Mass the night before her death. Ms. Loconte died of a heart attack after being allowed back into her house when the all clear was sounded.
“She was somebody who helped the community so much,” De Pinto said. “She was our local angel and she was only 50 years old. It's another tragedy.”
Although the church was open again for daily Mass, many continued to worry about their health with the discovery of asbestos on the neighbouring property of the Ancaster Community Centre.
However, De Pinto said that fire marshals were reassuring the community that levels were miniscule.
The parish joined with Catholic Family Services to provide expert counselling to those still recovering emotionally from the trauma.
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