Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston on co-cathedral fire: 'We give thanks to God that no one was harmed in this minor incident'

The Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, at 1111 St. Joseph Pkwy. in Downtown Houston, was the sight of a two-alarm fire, which Houston-based media outlets reported was a small electrical one.

“We give thanks to God that no one was harmed in this minor incident," the archdiocese's Rev. Jeffrey L. Bame, rector and administrator of the house of worship, said in a Facebook post. "I am grateful for the prompt and attentive care of the men and women of the Houston Fire Department (HFD) to prevent any significant damage to our sanctuary." 

Houston CBS affiliate KHOU reported that the day’s 12:10 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Masses and other events at the church were scrapped. 

The archdiocese, however, went ahead with the ordination of three new priests on Saturday.

Houston NBC affiliate KPRC reported that numerous HFD engines surrounded the 32,000-square-foot building. 

Per KPRC, firefighters first had difficulty pinpointing the source of the small blaze, but would track it to a mechanic room on the church’s second floor. 

Investigators told the station the fire may be due to elevator motors.

KPRC reported that no one was in the church when firefighters arrived on the scene. 

Arson investigators were summoned as it was a two-alarm fire and the subject was a church, KHOU reported. 

According to the archdiocese’s website, the co-cathedral is one of its two cathedrals, with the other being St. Mary’s Cathedral in Galveston. 

Its roots date back to 1896 when it began as Sacred Heart Parish, and nearly 70 years later, it was designated a co-cathedral when Pope Saint John XXIII declared Houston an episcopal city, paving the way for the archdiocese as it is today. 

The current church building was built earlier this century in response to surging growth in Houston city proper and the metropolitan area and was dedicated by Daniel Cardinal DiNardo in 2008.