The students of St. Mary’s adapt and move back after the parish hall explosion in O’Neill

O’NEILL, Neb. (KOLN) – In the aftermath of the Explosion in the parish hall of St. Patrick on October 7 St. Mary’s Catholic Schools suspended classes for a week while administrators figured out where to continue the school year.

“The first few days it was just a question of, ‘What can we do? Where can we go with all these kids?” said Paula Atkeson, high school principal. “Some rooms were definitely more damaged than others, but some were undamaged.”

The blast sent shards of glass into surfaces such as carpet, books and even the rubber bits in the playground padding. The force of the explosion shook apart light fixtures and ceiling tile grilles and damaged the walkway between schools.

Contractors patched up broken windows and got to work evaluating the beams and structural integrity of the school buildings.

The Rev. Bernard Starman, the president of St. Mary’s Catholic Schools, said they are in breach of $7 million in damages.

“But we’re well insured,” Starman said. “I walk or drive past that now empty lot, and I remember what was there. Again, it’s just stuff.”

A divided, yet united campus

The list of repairs goes on, but so does the list of people and organizations who provided support. Atkeson scrolled through a Google Doc more than a page long, tracking people’s good deeds.

Athletic teams practiced at O’Neill Public Schools until the St. Mary’s High School gym could be evaluated.

Many community organizations offered to convert spaces into classrooms, but administrators decided to expand the campus Northeast Community College better suited the needs of the high school.

“They didn’t even hesitate to take us,” Atkeson said.

The college has equipped seven classrooms with technology for teaching. Students bring their own lunch to campus, which they eat in the affiliated store.

Atkeson said Home & School and a business owner in O’Neill organized a “pizza day” that students looked forward to. The pizzas are delivered to NCC on Thursdays.

However, on Fridays, students attend classes virtually so as not to disrupt university activities.

“We just wanted to get back to normal, and that actually happened pretty quickly,” said Adilyn Shald, a student at St. Mary’s.

Shald called her senior year “a year I will never forget.” She said the explosion in the parish hall destroyed the props in one act, but it happened about an hour before students arrived for the early morning rehearsal.

“It gives you something to tell your grandchildren or children,” Shald said. “Thank God no one was hurt.”

On November 1, All Saints Day, they held their first full school Mass at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church.

“We were still spread out all over the place, but we were just bringing kids to Mass,” Atkeson said. “And we plan to continue to do that on Wednesdays. We missed it in those few weeks we couldn’t go.”

Make basic movements

While high school students settled into Northeast Community College, elementary school students moved to the former administration building across the street from St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. Students were also moved to classrooms provided by Faith Community Church in O’Neill.

As children adjusted to new spaces, a second grader decided to help his class by selling homemade bracelets.

“One day he came into class with a bag of money, and his teacher said, ‘Um, thanks.’ Where did you get this?’” laughed Jennie Schneider, principal of St. Mary’s Elementary School.

It was from Boone, who shyly explained.

“My mom and dad were talking about it, so I decided I had to (help),” Boone said. “I’m already done, but I raised over $300.”

Although just a drop in the bucket, Boone’s gift will help replace some of the technology in his classroom.

With the school buildings deemed structurally sound, teachers moved in on November 8, just over a month after the St. Patrick’s Parish Hall explosion.

“When we moved back in, we knew the construction was loud, messy and dusty, but for us it was worth it,” said Jennie Schneider, an elementary school principal. “We just want to be here at our school.”

St. Mary’s replaced the padding in the playground, salvageable items were boxed up in the classrooms and the carpet was replaced.

What awaits us

While administrators don’t know exactly when, the rest of St. Mary’s students are getting closer to returning home. Athletics teams are already practicing in the high school gymnasium.

Shortly after the explosion, St. Patrick’s Catholic Church received an impressive turnout at their parish auction. Starman said public and parochial schools — even parishes in South Dakota — have held fundraisers or fundraisers for St. Patrick’s and St. Mary’s.

“When something tragic happens, there’s usually an outpouring of support and concern at first,” Starman said. “It doesn’t seem to be going away.”

Starman thanked Faith Community Church, the city of O’Neill and Holt County for their generosity. When the parish offices were destroyed, St. Patrick’s staff moved to a former law office, where they continue to serve parishioners.

“St. Patrick’s and St. Mary’s will be here for a long time,” Starman said. “God has a plan, and we don’t know what it is. But it’s just stuff.”

The community of St. Patrick’s has lost a lot of history with the parish hall, but they retain 150 years of salvaged sacramental records and the people who were unharmed by the event.

The O’Neill Ministerial Association will hold their annual community Thanksgiving service for people of all faiths on November 24 at 6:30 p.m. Starman said they will reflect on the aftermath and express gratitude that everyone is safe.

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