Two-year's later, St. Kateri groundbreaking Saturday

The ground will be broken for the new St. Kateri Catholic Church in Ridgway Saturday.

Church members will pierce the ground at 4 p.m., a symbolic first step in replacing the St. Joseph Catholic Church that was destroyed in the Feb. 29, 2012, tornado.

"Weather permitting, there should be a shovel in the ground March 15," Tory Wargel of the church Building Committee said.

The church will celebrate Mass at 5 p.m. and there will be a Mardi Gras party at 6:15 p.m. with gumbo, face painting, music and games.

The festivities come as close to the two-year anniversary of the Leap Day tornado as possible, but that was not by design, Wargel said. This Saturday is the final Saturday prior to Lent, a time of sacrifice - not an appropriate time for a celebration.