Parham church reduced to rubble after terrifying night
All that's left of St. James Anglican Church in Parham, Ont., is its front entrance — the carved wood interior is ash and the vinyl siding lays in a heap.
The ruins are the result of a fire that raged Sunday night, spreading from a neighbouring house, in moments of terror as gunshots rang out.
The church served a small congregation of no more than two dozen people. There are only about that many homes on Country Road 38 that make up the village of Parham, which is part of the Township of Central Frontenac.
Bishop Michael Oulton of the Diocese of Ontario was at the scene Monday afternoon, consoling some of the church members.
"Like all rural churches, they're community focal points, they're gathering places. There's so much history, family history. People walk through the doors and they see where their parents, their grandparents [and] their great-grandparents sat," Oulton said.
"The loss is not so much the artifacts and the items and the stained glass, the loss is the what this represents in the community."
Oulton posted photos of the church to social media from its 130th anniversary celebration on Monday.
A night of terror
People who saw the fire consume the brick house and the church and heard the gunshots describe a night of being on edge. Ontario Provincial Police conducted an 11-hour search for the suspect.
One woman said that period of uncertainty reminded her of the shooting rampage in Nova Scotia in April when a gunman impersonating an RCMP officer killed 22 people.
"It did feel like Nova Scotia, you didn't know where he was," said the witness.
CBC is not naming her because she fears for her safety. She said she heard the man shouting "Parham's gonna burn!"
One person in Parham was treated by paramedics for non-life-threatening injuries.
Brian Daniel Mosher, 42, was charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of arson, uttering threats and several firearms offences, including unauthorized possession of a firearm.
Community spirit
David Kellar alleges he was shot at when he went to investigate the banging sounds and orange glow coming from the other side of the church.
He and his wife sheltered in their home as OPP searched the neighbourhood. Kellar said the loss to the community — which had always felt so safe — is only starting to be understood.
"I was more upset about that church being burned down than being shot at," Kellar said.
"That there has taken the spirit out of everybody."
Churchgoers put in the work to keep the century-old building in excellent shape, maintaining the hand-carved cedar and pine on the inside, Kellar said.
"It was like a beautiful trophy inside."
Township of Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith, herself a member of the church, said a core group of about 10 people poured their heart and soul into keeping it open.
"It's a huge loss. The people of that parish have fundraised, they've done bake sales, they have done lottery tickets, everything to try and keep it going," she said.
"It's very sad. I don't know if the church would be rebuilt, but again, the history is lost."
However she believes her community will rally.
"People are going to be afraid for a while, they still will help each other because that's what small rural communities do," Smith said.
