Man charged with aggravated arson in Franklin Lakes church fire

FRANKLIN LAKES — Parishioners of Most Blessed Sacrament R.C. Church expressed collective heartbreak on Wednesday after authorities said their sanctuary was purposely burned to the ground.

The spiritual home to thousands of congregants, and the setting of countless baptisms and funerals, was reduced to a heap of rubble in the early-morning blaze.

James Mayers, 26, a borough resident, torched the church building with a cigarette lighter and gasoline, authorities said. He was charged with first-degree aggravated arson and third-degree burglary.

Mayers was being treated at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston for burns that he sustained, pending a court hearing in Hackensack.

Longtime members of the nearly 60-year-old parish, meanwhile, huddled outside of the charred sanctuary on the morning of the fire, two weeks before Christmas, looking on as a backhoe demolished what was left of the building.

Many remembered the church as the place where they exchanged wedding vows, or where loved ones took Communion for the first time.

Paul Fondacaro was visibly emotional, recalling his son's baptism at the parish. Sunday's Mass was supposed to be offered there for his wife's aunt, he said.

Timothy Rubacky called the fire a "terrible tragedy," and referring to his family, he added: "Most Blessed Sacrament was the center of our universe."

Rubacky said his parents were among the founders of the parish and that his father led fundraisers for construction of the sanctuary. A funeral Mass was held there for his dad in 2015.

"The parish is so much more than a building, and while we're all saddened," he said, "it'll bring the community together."

Story continues below gallery.

Gail Kelly, who joined the parish in 1973, recalled lining up chairs for church services in the multi-purpose room of the next-door Catholic school when the sanctuary was under construction. "It's part of our lives," she said. "I can't believe someone would do that."

"Every family memory is wrapped up in that church," said Diann Isola, a parish member for more than 50 years. "It's a very sad day."

Isola and her husband, who were married at the parish, recently celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary and had flipped through an album of photos taken that day.

"It's a beautiful church," she said, remarking how sunlight shone through its skylights onto the altar. "Everyone was so proud of it. It's just a shame — an absolute shame."

Police were called at 1:36 a.m. about a possible fire at Urban Farms shopping center, a strip mall across the street from the church building, at 787 Franklin Lake Road. Officers rushed there to find the parish engulfed in flames. No one, other than Mayers, was in the church building at the time of the fire, authorities said.

The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, which headed the investigation of the fire, said Mayers was arrested at the scene.

Story continues below Instagram post.

The parish, serving more than 2,000 families, was founded in 1960 by the Archdiocese of Newark. In 1981, construction of a new sanctuary — the target of the fire — began. Academy of the Most Blessed Sacrament, a state Blue Ribbon school for children in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade on the same property as the parish, was not affected by the fire. Classes there were canceled on Wednesday, however.

Catholic Church officials said they were searching for temporary sites at which to hold the parish's services.

"We are thankful for the efforts of the police, firefighters and public safety workers who immediately responded to calls and battled the blaze during frigid conditions to try and save the church," said Maria Margiotta, an archdiocese spokeswoman.

Franklin Lakes Mayor Frank Bivona said the loss of the sanctuary affects "more than parishioners," but that the congregation will "rise from the ashes, stronger than ever."

Story continues below video.

"It reaches everyone in our community," the mayor said, adding that he witnessed the church building on fire in the "wee hours of the morning."

"I think the best thing we can all do right now is to say a prayer for them," he added. "Our focus will be on helping Most Blessed Sacrament, and its parishioners, get back on their feet."

In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed into law the Church Arson Prevention Act, which enacted federal prohibitions against damaging religious property and obstructing a person's right to worship.

Kaitlyn Kanzler covers Essex County for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: kanzler@northjersey.com Twitter: @KaitlynKanzler8