St. Ann’s Church in Effingham, Kan. was destroyed by fire in the early morning hours of April 21. The walls of the 111 year-old-building remain standing, but the roof and interior were destroyed. No injuries were reported. Effingham is a community in western Atchison County in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

The fire was discovered shortly after 3 a.m. by an Atchison County sheriff’s deputy making his rounds through Effingham. A call for mutual assistance went out to the neighboring communities. In all more than 100 volunteer firefighters from 10 different jurisdictions responded. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Arson has not been ruled out.

Benedictine Father Ben Tremmel, pastor, said that Mass would probably now be celebrated in the parish center north of the church. "Assuming that we can and everything is good, I would assume that the parish would want to rebuild." There are 85 families who regularly attend Mass.

When the archdiocese published a history book in 2000, Todd Habiger wrote the following to describe the Effingham parish. "Many of the current families are third- and forth-generation farmers. Mass is offered daily; there is a weekly Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The Knights of Columbus and Altar Society are also active. With many generational families a part of the parish makeup, parishioners have formed a strong bond and know they can rely on each other in times of crisis or need."