BUTTE — St. Mary's Catholic Church in uptown Butte has served as a community shelter during storms for decades. Now, the historic building needs saving itself, and a local organization is selling pasties to fund a new roof.
Sara Sparks, a volunteer for the Our Lady of the Rockies organization, recalls one of the many times the church opened its doors to give refuge to the public after a call about a storm passing through.
WATCH: Butte's beloved St. Mary's Church needs a new roof. Pasties to the rescue! 🥟
"He's on the phone with me, and he's like, can you get to the church? Can you get it open? We've got to have a place for people to go, and we need to have it happen in the next 20 minutes," Sparks said.
During festival season, the historic St. Mary's Catholic Church has been a shelter for little Irish dancers at An Rà Rá and folk festival attendees escaping thunderstorms, rain, and extreme heat. Now the old church is the one in need of a little rescuing.
A new leak has crept through the ceiling of the church. Sparks says that a decade ago, it cost around $8,000 to replace the roof. Now the cost has tripled. That's why the group's annual pastie fundraiser is dedicated to fixing the roof.
Board President Ron Gallardo says the annual pastie sale is taking preorders ahead of baking, which begins on March 23, when volunteers will be making approximately 650 pasties a day.
"I made it one of the fundamental points that we maintain St. Mary's Church and that we bring it back to being a vital part of uptown Butte," Gallardo said.
Sparks has been a part of the effort for years.
"I would say in my time, oh, I don't know. Twenty thousand?!" Sparks said.
To place a pasty order, call 406-782-1221 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
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