Weeks before the fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral, a Baptist church in Louisiana went up in flames.
It was only the first in a series of what appear to have been hate crimes. Over the next two weeks, two other Baptist churches were reduced to ash.
Since April 4, the date of the last inferno, the churches had struggled to raise the funding for renewal. But then a fire erupted at France’s most iconic cathedral, and people started to pay attention.
An international tragedy such as the collapse of the 850-year-old cathedral’s roof and spire can become a reminder of how religious spaces influence many more than those who attend services there.
In the case of Louisiana’s St. Landry Parish, Notre Dame reminded Americans that even if you’re not religious, we can all unite to help people who’ve suffered a terrible loss.
The three historically black churches — St. Mary Baptist Church, Greater Union Baptist Church, and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church — appear to have been the victims of violent racism. A 21-year-old was charged with arson and hate crimes in connection with the fires.
Because of Notre Dame, their story went viral. Just two days after the catastrophe in France, a crowdfunding campaign for the churches reached, then surpassed, its $1.8 million goal. It’s now at more than $2 million.
It shouldn’t take a high-profile disaster such as the destruction of Notre Dame for people to pay attention to the restoration of three rural churches. Nevertheless, it’s encouraging that at least one positive movement could result from it.
As visitors mourned the fire at Notre Dame, they remembered the cultural, architectural, and artistic impact it had on France. The Louisiana churches may have had just over 100 regular members each, but they influenced their community nonetheless.
Monica Harris, a parishioner at Greater Union Baptist Church, told the New York Times that witnessing the burned remains of the building was devastating.
“Seeing the church in the condition it is now,” Harris said, “it’s almost like losing a family member.”
Freddie Jack, president of the Seventh District Baptist Association, which includes all three churches, told the New York Times that the churches still have a long road ahead of them. “They’re a long way from full recovery,” he said, “but the generosity of the people seems to be speaking volumes.”
As French billionaires pledge to help rebuild Notre Dame, more than 35,000 people have offered donations as small as $10 to three Louisiana churches. Even thousands of miles across the ocean, it’s amazing how one tragedy can highlight another, giving each of them a little more hope.
