St Mary's Church in Bundaberg was destroyed by fire in the early hours of the morning on Tuesday 11th February.  It is believed the fire started sometime after 3am in the morning and emergency services were called to Barolin Street just before 4am.  It took multiple crews and several hours to put out.  No one was injured during the fire.  A 42 year old Bundaberg man was later charged by police.

In a letter to the Catholic Parish of Bundaberg, Bishop Michael expressed his sadness at the loss of St Mary's Church, "It is very sad when our churches burn down and the church has been a sign to the community that our Catholic Church is present.  It has served many generations of Catholics and our school of St Mary's, when it was co-located on the same site."  The Bishop also expressed his sympathy at this time and offered his prayers for the community.

 That same day Fr Peter Tonti, Parish Priest, called the community together to mourn, remember, reflect and pray.  The church held memories for so many having served the community for nearly 70 years as a place to gather to celebrate Mass, marriages, baptisms and funerals and as a place of learning.

 There will be another meeting of the community on Saturday, 15th February, at 9am to begin discussions about moving forward.