'Unsettling' to say the least. In the photo above, the Virgin Mary appears surrounded by flames inside the 125-year-old Church of the Visitation in Westphalia Monday morning just before the collapse of the structure.

If we had not seen the horrific fire Monday with our own eyes I could swear this photo comes from a movie or something, but sadly residents of the town actually had to look on while the iconic church and so many memories went up in smoke. One of those residents was Nathan Wilde of Westphalia. John Carroll with News 10 reports that Wilde was helping to move equipment around the outside of the church the morning of the fire when he looked up and noticed the silhouette of the statue in the window. Wilde was baptized in the church and also got married there. He was dropping off his kids at the nearby daycare when he noticed the fire. Wilde posted his photo on the Austin Diocese's Facebook page.

Wilde told News 10 that he had taken Austin Bishop Vasquez's words to heart about how the Blessed Mary would be watching over the people. Wilde says he thinks that is what she is doing in this photo. Maybe she is partially responsible for making sure that nobody was stuck inside the morning of the fire.

All of the items inside the church burned in the fire except for the tabernacle which was saved by area residents who had gathered at the site at the time of the fire. Some folks say the Church of the Visitation was one of the largest wooden structures in all of Texas. It will be greatly missed by the residents of Westphalia.

 

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