CEDAR RAPIDS - It was the first mass since the flood for St. Wenceslaus Church. About 350 people crowded into the building for a special blessing from the Archbishop Jerome Hanus. Rededication of the church began when the archbishop doused holy water on its cornerstone. Rebuilding the church began when its own members took action.
Jim Miller says, "We figure we've got, oh 150 tons out there all carried up by five-gallon buckets that weigh anywhere between 45 and 60 pounds a piece."
Jim turns 76 this week, but he still carried out those loose rocks from the basement. Like many long-time members of the church, he wasn't about to let a flood force him out for long.
"Now, If I put a long-sleeve shirt on, it's probably going to come up to my elbows, because my arms stretched out from carrying those five-gallon buckets of rock up and down those steps."
The first mass came 15 weeks and 6,000 man-hours after the flood. Sunday, greeters started running out of bulletins, because the service was overflowing. The ceremony was a celebration, a way of moving forward. But parishioners don't want to forget their past. Jim put a cross on top of the pile of rocks from the basement as a reminder of what they went through.
"I'm just glad we got it done, this far at least. We got a long way to go."
With faith, came a way to survive. And Jim says they certainly will.