FRANKLIN -- Time has made it easier for Father Bob Poitras to forgive.

In October 2024, his parish, St. Mary in Franklin, was severely damaged by an arson attack. The perpetrator remains at large. Four days after the fire, Father Poitras celebrated an outdoor Mass steps away from the imposing century-old church building. His homily at the time described two forces at war within his heart. The Bob Poitras, who grew up in Lowell's hardscrabble Acre neighborhood, was filled with anger and wanted revenge. The Holy Spirit, however, spoke louder: "Have mercy, have forgiveness."

Over four months later, Father Poitras has these words for the arsonist: "We forgive you, and let us help."

"I don't think somebody who does an act like this in a church is somebody who's without need of help," he told The Pilot. "So I say, let's help them. We want to help."

He said he can forgive more easily because of "all the good that God's done all around us" in the aftermath of the fire.

"In the midst of all the fear and anger and chaos that was going on, God continued to show how great he was," he said. "I've got to say, that was a lesson learned. That made it easy."

On March 1, after four months of renovations, St. Mary's was packed with parishioners once more as Archbishop Richard G. Henning celebrated Mass and rededicated the church. It was the first Mass in the upper church since the fire.

Before Mass began, Father Poitras stood at the pulpit and, to rapt applause, said: "My dear friends, welcome home. I've been waiting forever to say that. It's good to be back home."

Archbishop Henning said that the Mass was a "return home for the people of God" and told the assembly that he had been praying for them in the months following the fire.

"In addition to asking God's mercy for our own sinfulness," he said before Mass, "we ask today that God forgive the sin that has been committed against this church in that attack of arson, and that the Lord cleanse this church of that wrongdoing."

Triumphant organ music, a sound that had not been heard since the fire, played as Archbishop Henning sprinkled holy water all over the church. The walls, furniture, and statues were pristine, painstakingly restored to their former glory. The total cost of the renovations was over $1 million. Most of it was covered by insurance, but some repairs were financed by donations. Workers were still putting finishing touches on the church the night before the rededication Mass.

"The entire church from ceiling to floor has been sanitized, painted, cleaned four or five times over," Father Poitras told The Pilot.

The pews were polished and restained. The church's carpeted floor was replaced with hardwood. The sound system and organ had to be replaced entirely. The organ played during the March 1 Mass is a temporary one, which will be used until the new one is complete.

"Anything mechanical and porous had to be thrown out because it was too full of smoke and carcinogens," Father Poitras told The Pilot.

The sacristy, where the fire began, was completely destroyed. For Father Poitras, who saw flames licking the underside of the door on the night of the blaze, it was difficult at first to enter that room again.

"The good news is it's been gutted completely, and it's all a brand-new sacristy now," he said.

In his homily, Archbishop Henning compared the church building to the chalice used to hold the consecrated wine. He joked that Father Poitras wouldn't use the chalice to drink his morning coffee because it is dedicated solely "to the things of God." He said the fire was so heinous because the parish is also dedicated solely to God.

"You didn't cease to be the parish church of St. Mary when you couldn't come into your building," he said. "It's in our hearts that God truly dwells. And yet, this place matters. Your sense of loss was certainly a loss of home, but something more. It offends us, doesn't it, that someone could do harm to such a place of beauty? Because this place is dedicated to God."

The archbishop said that everyone in the assembly was also dedicated to God when they were baptized.

"Every one of us in this church has been consecrated to be like the chalice, a vessel, to receive the spirit of God and to share it among the people of God and beyond," he said.

After his homily, Archbishop Henning reconsecrated the altar by incensing it and anointing it with sacred chrism oil. Teenage parish ambassadors placed elaborate floral bouquets before the altar and pulpit. The parish priests placed the green cloth over the intricately carved wooden altar. The altar was now able to have the Eucharist celebrated upon it.

After Mass, Father Poitras said that the "terrible night" of the fire changed everything in his parish, but, echoing the archbishop's words, said that it reminded the parish of "the power of God in our lives."

"At that lowest point in my heart that very night," he said, "he sent Archbishop Henning that very night to come and pray with us here for our parish as we stood at the doors of the church. And he didn't stop blessing us over and over again throughout these four, now almost five months. God has continued to bless us."

He thanked ServiceMaster and the Santini Group for their work to repair the church, as well as the Archdiocese of Boston for its help.

"We have so many good men and women who are on call, ready immediately when one of our parishes is struggling," he said.

He also thanked the assembly, the Knights of Columbus, and all parish staff and volunteers.

"Each and every parishioner who has come forward and offered support, offered prayers, to everyone who's donated and given so generously to our fire fund from here and beyond," he said. "A great thank you to everyone who sacrificed along with us on this journey, to get to this night, to get to this moment. Thank you for all your help. We are St. Mary Strong."

He specifically thanked St. Mary's Facilities and Operations Manager Patricia Murphy, who was recently diagnosed with brain cancer. He asked the assembly to pray for her.

"I know she's here with us in spirit tonight," he said.

Archbishop Henning, pointing out that he comes from a long lineage of New York City firefighters, led the assembly in a Hail Mary for the Franklin Fire Department and first responders.

"That night was a disaster, but it could have been a catastrophe, but for their skill and courage in coming here and putting out the fire," he said in his remarks after Mass.

As the assembly filed out of the church and into the snowy blue night, the bells of St. Mary's rang over the Franklin Town Common for the first time since the fire.

"Absolute beauty to hear those bells again," Father Poitras said.