Last night at around 9pm, St Patrick’s Catholic Church in Nimbin burned to the ground.
Nimbin resident Judi Kent said she knew there was something wrong when she heard the Nimbin fire station alarm going off three times in quick succession.
‘I live on the same street so I went down to have a look. The fire trucks were already there but the whole thing was on fire. It was burnt to the ground in about 20 minutes.
The fire quickly destroyed the building, which collapsed in on itself. ‘It was shocking how fast it burned,’ said Ms Kent.
Property is now privately owned
The and Lismore Diocese priest Father Bing Monteagudo said that Masses had not been celebrated at Nimbin for some time.
‘Though all the holy items were removed, St Patrick’s was still a consecrated building and therefore a sacred site in the Catholic Church.’
Originally the church was used as a school conducted by the Sisters of St Joseph who lived in the convent next door. When a priest was not available the people and the sisters gathered to hear the Gospel of the Sunday and recite the Rosary.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
