A massive fire Thursday afternoon devastated a stately brick church in rural western Ohio built by German Catholics during the late-19th century.

The wooden steeple collapsed while engulfed with flames, and overhead video shows the roof gone from St. John the Baptist Church in the unincorporated community of Maria Stein, as reported by Dayton 24/7 Now. The church, built in 1891, is in Marion Township in Mercer County, about 47 miles north by northwest of Dayton.

Local firefighters are calling the building a total loss.

“We tried our best but just couldn’t save this beautiful church,” the Chickasaw Volunteer Fire Department said in an online statement posted late Thursday.

The fire chief, Joe Hartings, told a local television station that it’s not clear how the fire started, though workers at the time were replacing shingles on the roof.

The station, WDTN-TV Channel 2 in Dayton, also interviewed two longtime parishioners.

One of them described with difficulty the feelings she had watching the church on fire.

“Devastating, made me sick to my stomach to see it, our church,” said Joyce Brackman, with a catch in her throat as she talked during an interview with WDTN. “Never, never thought my whole life I would see our church go up in flames like that.”

Cincinnati Archbishop Robert Casey released a statement about the fire Thursday, according to the archdiocesan newspaper, The Catholic Telegraph. He said:

“I was deeply saddened to hear of the fire this afternoon at our beloved St. John the Baptist Church in Maria Stein. While the fire appears to have caused great damage, I am confident that the faith of this community remains strong. Please know that I am holding each of you in prayer during this time of sorrow and loss. I will remain united with you in prayer in the coming days, months and beyond. May Christ, our light in every darkness, bring each of you comfort, strength and peace.”

The unincorporated community of Maria Stein, which means “Mary Stone” in German, has about 1,400 people. German Catholics settled there around the 1830s.

The recently gutted church building, the third church of the parish, was dedicated about 133 years ago, on Nov. 11, 1891, according to an online history published by the Marion Catholic Community.

“The present church is of the Roman style of architecture and built of brick with sandstone trim. It is almost 140 feet long and 60 feet across the transept,” the online history states.

The church cost $40,135 to build in 1891, which is the equivalent of about $1.4 million today.

St. John the Baptist is part of the Christ Our Light Family of Parishes, which consists of eight churches in the area. The church was hosting two weekend Masses and a Friday morning Mass as part of the parish’s regular schedule, according to the parish’s website.

St. John the Baptist was “well into the process of the roof repair on the church,” according to the Sunday, June 1, parish bulletin, which was published before the fire and which reported that the parish would have to pay a net of $234,000 for the roof project “after insurance reimbursement for wind damage.”

Archbishop Casey celebrated a daily Mass on Friday morning at Most Precious Blood in Maria Stein, one of the eight churches in the diocese.

The pastor, Father Kenneth Schnipke, told parishioners that experts came on scene quickly after the fire and that some initially suggested that “the integrity of the walls may not have been compromised.”

“While the damage is severe, the restoration specialists were also hopeful that more could be salvaged than appears,” Father Schnipke said in his sermon.

“It’ll be a long and difficult process, but I’m also convinced that nothing is impossible with God — that we have the right people in place to assess the damage, discern what we need to do, and to put that into action,” Father Schnipke said.

“I must admit that my heart sank as I drove up to St. John yesterday and as a spire fell to the ground in the evening,” Father Schnipke added. “But I’ve also been seeing many signs of hope with all who’ve come to our help, learning what may be salvaged, beginning steps to rebuild.”

Archbishop Casey described a parish in Florida that met for Mass in the church parking lot for a year after their church was damaged by a hurricane. The parishioners were initially devastated, he said, but “discovered” during that time “their true identity as people of God.”

Archbishop Casey said, “When we face times of trial, we know that God can take us on a journey from cross to resurrection.”