[Updated from print version, March 11, 1:26 p.m.]

Immediately after a fire ripped through the vestibule of St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church, causing severe damage last Friday morning, parishioners expressed relief and hopes for a quick rebound.

The two-alarm fire, which fire officials called “very suspicious,” was contained in the front  vestibule of the church, which sits on the heavily-trafficked corner of University Avenue and Fordham Road. The fire did not touch the sanctuary. Aside from a couple of minor injuries sustained by firefighters, no one was injured.

In other words, “It could be worse,” said Earle Orithineer, a member of Tolentine for the past 30 years.

In the aftermath of the blaze, dozens of parishioners gathered on the sidewalk outside the church. Everyone interviewed by the Norwood News said they expected a swift recovery.

“This is personal,” said Carlos Cortez, a Tolentine parishioner for the past 15 years who was married in the church and had his kids baptized there. “This is a very active community. It’s like our second home.” He added, “We’ll find a way [to recover].” 

Indeed, on Sunday morning, Tolentine held service in the church’s elementary school gym, located just down the block from the church (2336 Andrews Ave.) where they will hold regular services until the main sanctuary can be reopened for use.

At Sunday services, Tolentine Priest Joseph Girone said he felt like  "widower at my wife’s funeral." Members of the congregation seemed to be projecting all of their sorrow on him at Sunday mass, he said. They offered him condolences and the occasional dollar or three to aide in the rebuilding effort. (Girone says he’ll be outfitting the Web site with a way to 

Girone said his sermon focused on the theme of hope as he leads the congregation through the rebuilding process, which may take a considerable amount time and money because of the extent of the damage and the fact that the church will have to replace many historic pieces. 

"We can’t just go buy a door at Home Depot," Girone said.

Despite these challenges, Girone said he hopes to set up some temporary passage ways into the main sanctuary by the end of the month, which would allow them to conduct services there while the rebuilding construction is underway.

On a cool, windy Friday morning, at around 11:30 a.m., Girone, Tolentine’s head pastor, was in his rectory office preparing for noon mass when a receptionist told him thick smoke was billowing out of the church’s front doors. At the time, a handful of people were inside the sanctuary praying.

Girone reacted quickly. Through a side entrance that connects the church rectory to the sanctuary, the priest ferried the praying parishioners to safety.

Soon after, at about 11:45 a.m., the firefighters arrived at the church and began beating back the blaze, said Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Scanlon. A couple of firefighters were taken to the hospital with minor injuries after plaster from the ceiling rained down on them, Scanlon said.

Several parishioners suspected the fire may have been accidentally started by a homeless person smoking a cigarette in the vestibule. A significant homeless population often uses the church for shelter and occasional smoking lounge, especially during the cold winter months, parishioners say. 

But Scanlon said it appeared somebody set the fire deliberately because of its intensity and how it “accelerated rapidly.”

It took 60 firefighters to put out the blaze, which Scanlon and Girone said appeared to have started in one of the vestibule’s old confessionals, which the church was using for storage.

“It is [suspicious],” Girone said, echoing Scanlon. “You don’t get that kind of flame so quickly [when it’s accidental].”

Girone, who called the church “the Bronx’s cathedral,” could not imagine who would want to burn down the venerable 104-year-old church. “Lots of people have issues with God, but I don’t know who could have done this,” he said. “It’s very sad.”

Others were equally perplexed. “I don’t know who in their right mind would do something like this,” said parishioner Anna Sosa.

“This [church] is a beacon here in the community,” said Orithineer.

Despite the appearance of foul play, most parishioners, like Marilyn Martin, a Tolentine member for the past 48 and a half years, remained upbeat. “Definitely,” she said, “we’re going to bounce back.”