Trev remembers Union City’s burned down church

Union City is in mourning for two year old Eddie Junior Gonzales who lost his life in a fire that started in a house and swept all the way to St Joseph and St Michael's church which also burned. I can't imagine the pain his father, hospitalized with severe burns, is going through after trying to save him. My heart goes out to all those families affected by this, as well as those affect by the burning of the church. There was a  lot of mourning and memories shared by those who grew up there this weekend.

Anyone that knows me or listens to my show knows how much I love Union City and St Joseph and Michael's church was a big part of that. My house was a block and a half away. St Joe's was where I attended mass. That is when we weren't sneaking down to Charlie's candy store on 13th and Central. I always made sure to pick up a program on my way home to prove to my parents that I went.

Many of my friends went to St Joe's Catholic school which is right across the street. My oldest and dearest friend Captain Robert Pisani who would accompany me on those Sunday mornings, was there Saturday fighting the blaze. So many memories were brought back as I watched and read.

It was heartbreaking to see the video of the burning steeple against the black of night. It was that same steeple that I would look for as a kid sitting in my father's car from the turnpike to know that I was coming home, a home that has always meant so much to me that I took my sons to see it.

The church is supposed to be a place of sanctuary and now as Union City fights to be a place of sanctuary, we deal with this tragedy.  My deepest sympathies to all affected.

Many of the pictures in the aftermath show not only a church and fallen steeple covered in icicles but a colorful rainbow that shoots across it. A rainbow of hope.

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