"Pop, crack" is how neighbours described the sound alerting them to a fierce blaze that destroyed a well-loved church in Bundaberg overnight.
The facade is all that remains at St Mary's Catholic Church in Walkervale, Queensland, on Tuesday morning after a fire tore through the structure at about 4:00am.
A 42-year-old man has been charged with arson and is due to face the Bundaberg Magistrates Court today charged with arson, enter with intent and attempted arson.
Nearby resident Marie McAneney was one of the first at the scene.
She said she and her husband were woken by the sound of popping and her dogs barking.
"The church was engulfed; I took photos because my children went to St Mary's school and my husband taught there," she said.
"It's really tragic — a huge part of the community and a sad loss to a lot of people."
There were tears at a parish meeting held to discuss the future of the church on Tuesday afternoon.
Parish priest Father Peter Tonti said the community was banding together to share what the church meant to the community.
"The word I've heard often is 'gutted' because when you look at the church building itself, that's what's happened and I would suggest the people are that as well," he said.
"That whole sense of purpose and hope and love in life, when sometimes our world really needs it [was] at St Mary's, it was there.
"What St Mary's meant for them ...we want to collate these stories so we can ensure St Mary's lives on.
"We know our God will look after us and raise us up out of the ashes."
Not first church lost to fire in Bundaberg
A former Church of Christ building down the road from St Mary's was engulfed by flames in 2016 meaning St Mary's is the second church lost to fire in Bundaberg in the last decade.
St Mary's had been the location of countless weddings and baptisms throughout its nearly-70-year history.
Former federal member for Hinkler Brian Courtice, who married his wife Marcia there in 1974, said the church had a special place in the hearts of many locals.
"Our children were all christened there and our grandchildren were all christened there," he said.
"It's rather sad to see something as iconic burn down. It's a great shame.
"It doesn't have to be a great cathedral to be a place of worship with huge respect."
A second parish meeting on the future of ST Mary's has been scheduled for Saturday.
