Valley Breeze

2 woonsocket JANUARY 8-14, 2015 | vAlleY bReeze | NoRth smithfield blAckstoNe wooNsocket editioN By SANDY SEOANE valley breeze staff writer sandy@valleybreeze.com WOONSOCKET – In the biblical story of the fiery furnace in Daniel 3, King Nebuchadnezzar throws three men into a fire for refusing to bow down before a golden statue. But an angel comes down from heaven to pro- tect the faithful, who bravely chose not to worship a false god, and the men come out unscathed. It is just such a miracle, the Rev. Anthony Perkins believes, that saved St. Michael Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and has protected and grown the parish over the two years since a tragic Nov. 21, 2012 fire nearly wiped it off the map. "This kind of stress can destroy parishes," Perkins said. "There's a lot of spending money involved and a lot of decisions that need to be made. My main goal the whole time has been to shepherd them through this together." The blaze left behind exten- sive smoke and water damage, along with holes in the roof and where the windows once were on the 70-year-old Harris Avenue temple. The fire, which took place on the same day the church honors its patron saint, all but destroyed the granite and wood building. When parishioners should have been celebrating the feast of St. Michael, fire officials were still assessing the damage, and securing the valu- able artifacts that firefighters had salvaged from the burning church. While an insurance settle- ment would cover some of the damages, it would take time to rebuild the structure. Irreplaceable artifacts, from pews to the icons painted on the walls, had been lost forever. But the parish has persevered, and this week, headed back into the sacred structure with a timing and ceremony ripe with meaning for those who stayed faithful through the ordeal. On the day of the fire, Perkins took a "Nazarite vow" – a religious tool hailing back to the Old Testament, done for a limited time and specific pur- pose. He would not cut his hair or beard, he said, until his flock was made whole, and returned to their place of worship. Services were moved to the church hall, a smaller auditorium-style building on parish grounds. The empty space would gradually be trans- formed into a suitable place for worship. "People really came together to set it up and make it a home," Perkins said. "It's really been transformed into a church space." Then, the pastor says, an amazing thing happen. The parish not only became closer, but grew in number during the time of hardship. The small space forced parishioners to sit closer together and get to know their neighbor just a little bit more. "I think that's one of the reasons we're coming out of this better than we went in," Perkins said. "It's a different community now than when we left. It's stronger." The church has raised money for the restoration with annual events like their popular Cookie Walk, where guests pur- chase boxes of holiday treats, homemade by parishioners. This year, the event raised some $4,500. Such funding has allowed the parish to pay for restoration, like the major roof replace- ment that was started last sum- mer. Perkins said that he and the church board members have tried to keep tempting upgrades to a minimum, and to focus on getting back into the building. Small changes include the building of a new handicap- accessible bathroom and a switch to natural gas heating. "The lay leaders of the church really carried the weight," he said. In December, St. Michael's was issued a new permit of occupancy. And on Saturday, Jan. 3, the two-year prayer and accompa- nying hair growth came to an end. Perkins long tresses were chopped off, to be donated to Locks of Love, and his beard was burned as incense in a celebratory bonfire in front of the stairs to the church, well known throughout the city for its ornate Eastern-style architec- ture and twin gilded spires, still in place. Such a process, Perkins says, is suggested in the Bible in Numbers 6:18. "And the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the door of the tent of meeting, and shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offering," it states. The pastor said his shoulder- length hair was the longest he's ever had it, "by far," and that Two years after tragic fire, St. Michael's parish heads back into their church vAlleY bReeze photo bY sANdY seoANe The roof on St. MichAEl'S UkrAiNiAN Orthodox Church during mid- summer construction. pErkiNS see St. MichAEl'S, page 12 American Rare Coin Aggressively Buying Silver & Gold Bullion - Jewelry - Coins – Paper Money 401-434-1440 • 1-800-443-2646 HOURS: Wednesday-Friday 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturday 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; Closed Mondays & Tuesdays American Rare Coin 311 Newport Ave., East Providence, RI 02916 RI License 97447 Courteous Professional Service Since 1978 Specializing in Certified Coins FITNESS TRACKERS FOR PETS One more item to add to the list of seemingly for-humans-only items that pet owners will add to their pet's repertoire is the fitness tracker. It's not surprising, however. 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