The Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral in Poplar was destroyed in a fire early Tuesday morning, leaving the small community without a church that has held Sunday Mass every week since June 1942.
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The Poplar Volunteer Fire Department responded to the fire alongside the Culbertson Volunteer Fire Department. Poplar firefighters declared the structure a 100% total loss and requested the state fire marshal to examine the scene. The cause of the fire is under investigation by local authorities.
For longtime community members like David Grainger, the loss is deeply personal. Grainger attended Sunday Mass every week with his mother and family.
"We went to catechism every year, just growing up. Bible camp in the summers," Grainger said.
"Me and my siblings, we always attended with her growing up," Grainger said.
Beyond weekly worship, the cathedral served as a gathering place for the entire community.
"Church was also used as a place for baby showers or, you know, a lot of, of course, funerals were held and, you know, so it was birthday parties. So it was used for a lot of different things. So a lot of memories," Grainger said.
The weight of the loss is not lost on those who poured themselves into the church over the decades.
"There's quite a few people that put a lot of, you know, their heart into that church. And it's just, it's just gone now. So yeah, irreplaceable," Grainger said.
Still, Grainger expressed hope for what comes next.
"We all can come together and, you know, continue on, rebuild," Grainger said.
