Home Care In Thomaston, CT

WATERBURY, Conn. (WTNH) — A major water main break that affected Waterbury and surrounding towns on last week was officially repaired as of Tuesday morning.

According to Rob Langenauer, the superintendent of water for the City of Waterbury, the water main is back in service.

Last week, residents around the Waterbury region say discolored water ran from their faucets following a major water main break on Old Branch Road in Thomaston.

According to city officials, a 42″ pipe burst around 5 a.m., and an emergency contractor expedited the repair. Customers experienced discolored water until the repair is completed.

Langenauer said there is a lot of welding that needed to be done once the repair pipe kit is installed to provide pipe restraint.

The pressure within the pipe is approximately 150psi, so making sure the pipe is restrained and secured is “extremely important,” Langenauer said.

The break is in the heart of the system for the entire city and is essentially the “aorta” of the water system, he explained. Since many water lines needed to be rerouted, Langenauer said sediment was stirred up, causing the water to appear brown.

Langenauer said the water was safe to drink. However, he did not recommend running dishwashers or washing machines because the sediment can cause damage and discoloration.

“I just washed my rice and chicken, and I was worried that me and my family was going to get sick,” said Tenisha James, of Waterbury. “Like, do I have to throw this food away?”

James said she was cooking for her three children when she realized the water inside her Waterbury apartment was discolored.

“I first contacted my neighbor upstairs, and I said, ‘Hey, is your water brown,” James said. “She said, ‘Yeah, girl, it’s brown, too. What’s going on,’ and I said, ‘I have no idea.’

The 42″ diameter pipe that needs to be fixed had to be shipped from Illinois — as there is only one manufacturer that makes the type of pipe used in the system, Langenauer said. The pipe arrived last Wednesday morning.

“Since the pipe is very large it will take 2 to 4 hours to fill and vent the air within the pipe,” Langenauer said. “Removal of air is critical to when filling the main so it takes much care and caution so we want to get that done right. Weather has been a little tough with rain and then some thunderstorms later so we may be filling the main up early Saturday so we can do it right first time.”

Jimmy Bothroyd owns the property next to the break on Old Branch Road. He said water gushed over the bank and down the hill, washing out his company’s storage lot.

“I had all my water trailers there,” Bothroyd said. “The dirt, gravel was up on the bumpers.”

Langenauer said officials are still investigating the cause of the water main break but believe it was a power surge causing a generator to kick in.

Another official on scene told News 8 the pipe was from the 1970s and appeared to be fine, but rocks and other materials surrounding it may have shifted during the storm earlier this month.

THOMASTON, Conn. (WTNH) — The Vatican is looking into reports of a possible religious miracle in Thomaston, according to the Archdiocese of Hartford.

The possible miracle happened during a March 5 Mass at Saint Thomas Church.

“We had something happen,” Rev. Joseph Crowley said, growing emotional in a video addressing the congregation after communion. “God provides, and it’s funny how God provides, and sometimes it comes in a weird way, in a mystical way.”

Crowley said that a minister ran out of hosts during communion. Then, when he looked in the ciborium, there were more.

“God duplicated himself in the ciborium,” Crowley said in the video, noting that the potential religious miracle was caught on tape.

The archdiocese said in a statement that miracles “are divine signs calling us to faith or to deepen our faith.”

“Roman Catholics experience a daily miracle because every time Mass is celebrated what was bread becomes the Body of Christ and what was wine becomes his Blood,” the archdiocese said in a written statement. “Through the centuries this daily miracle has sometimes been confirmed by extraordinary signs from Heaven, but the Church is always careful to investigate reports of such signs with caution, lest credence is given to something that proves to be unfounded.”

If verified, the incident “would constitute a sign or wonder that can only be attributed to divine power to strengthen our faith in the daily miracle of the Most Holy Eucharist.”

“It would also be a source of blessing from Heaven for the effort that the U.S. Bishops are making to renew and deepen the faith and practice of our Catholic people with regard to this great Sacrament,” the statement reads.

THOMASTON — The Thomaston Opera House recently announced that it will soon send its renovation project out to bid, with construction to start in 2024.

The project is a collaboration between the town, Thomaston Opera House Commission, Friends of the Thomaston Opera House and Landmark Community Theatre.

"The planning began for the renovations in 2018 when Paul B. Bailey Architect, along with Nextstage Design and other consultants were engaged to study the existing conditions of the historic Thomaston Opera House and provide a report detailing needed upgrades," members said, in a statement from executive director Jeff Dunn. "The report recommended three significant construction phases to address all identified needs. With the reward of a $3,500,000 grant from the state of Connecticut Department of Economic Development in 2021, a building committee was formed by the town of Thomaston to oversee the project. The committee consists of 8 residents of Thomaston dedicated to preserving and protecting this historic landmark and community space for the present and future enjoyment of the facility. This committee has been working over the last several months preparing to go out to bid on Phase 1."

Advertisement

Article continues below this ad

Phase one, according to Dunn, will provide a new freight elevator, sized and positioned to allow larger scenery for productions, and handicap access to the stage, as well as renovated dressing rooms, a wardrobe room and green room areas and bathrooms with showers. Structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing improvements as well as fire protection and compliance are also part of the first phase. It will also include "the appropriate repairs and restoration of all the historic finishes in the auditorium, Dunn said.

The Thomaston Opera house presents five community stage productions annually, entertaining more than 18,000 audience members, according to members, as well as graduation celebrations, silent films, dance recitals, organ concerts and an array of educational programs.

"Yet, despite its impressive activity, the Thomaston Opera House languishes in disrepair. The ceiling crumbles, artwork obscured by netting, walls stained by water, and the once-ornate proscenium bears the scars of time. Safety concerns loom large, and accessibility for those with mobility issues remains a challenge," according to members.

People interested in learning more about the project or to support it can visit www.landmarkcommunitytheatre.org or www.friendsofthomastonoperahouse.org

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith in Rome will determine whether the alleged multiplication of wafers during a mass service in Thomaston was indeed a miracle.

More Videos

THOMASTON, Conn. — The apparent miracle that was reported out of a Thomaston church back in March is being referred to Faith experts in Europe.

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith in Rome will determine whether the alleged multiplication of wafers during a mass service in Thomaston was indeed a miracle.

The Archdiocese of Hartford told FOX61 Tuesday that it awaits the Doctrine of Faith's response.

Shortly before Easter, the alleged miracle took place during a Sunday Lenten Mass.

St. Thomas pastor Father Joseph Crowley addressed his congregation just minutes after the apparent miracle took place.

“What happened is our Lord multiplied himself,” said Crowley.

FOX61 was the only TV station allowed inside St. Thomas Church just days after Eucharistic wafers, which Catholics believe transform themselves into the body of Christ, reportedly multiplied in a blessed serving vessel called a ciborium during communion.

“A very cool miracle. There’s no doubt. I have no doubt,” remarked Crowley during a subsequent service. Crowley said the Eucharistic minister observed that there were not enough hosts for all people in line to get one. He was about to go get more when the hosts reportedly multiplied several times over.

Sign up for the FOX61 newsletters: Morning Forecast, Morning Headlines, Evening Headlines

Some parishioners put their faith in the miracle.

“Just feel it in your heart. Just feel it in your heart,” said Jean Beck. “How can you look at everything that’s going on and not believe?”

Beck said it’s a moment she will carry with her for the rest of her life. She had lost her mother just two days before.

“It was such a glorious, joyful, wonderful thing that it brought peace to my heart because she was a parishioner all her life here," Beck said.

“It surprises me. I hope it’s real. If it isn’t at least it will bring somebody back to faith and we know that these things can happen,” remarked parishioner Michael Conway.

Speaking exclusively to FOX61 back in March, Archbishop Leonard Blair said the church’s investigation might involve a scientific or forensic analysis of the communion hosts.

“I’m sending out an experienced Priest who has a knowledge of church or Canon law,” explained Archbishop Blair. “They will follow a procedure to examine what happened, under what circumstances and by whom.”

Blair told said the outcome of that investigation would determine if he needed to notify the Vatican.

“The guidelines for these kinds of situations do call for me to notify the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome," said Blair.

Throughout the entire 21st century, there have only been four Eucharistic miracles recognized by the Catholic Church.

The most recent was in 2013 in Poland, where a host that fell on the floor was put into water to dissolve. It became streaked with red stains that were tested and found to contain fragments of the heart muscle.

St. Thomas Church is the church where Rev. Michael McGivney once served. McGivney has one previous miracle attributed to him. He was beatified in 2020 and given the title “Blessed”. If a second miracle is attributed to him, it could set him on a path to being canonized as a saint.

In order for a miracle to be attributed to McGivney, there would have to be evidence that someone prayed specifically in his name.

Related Articles

Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS

Download the FOX61 News APP

iTunes: Click here to download

Google Play: Click here to download

Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.

Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.

THOMASTON, CT (WFSB) - The Archdiocese of Hartford is looking into the possibility of an extremely rare miracle at Saint Thomas Church in Thomaston.

This is potentially something incredible, and people Channel 3 talked to in Thomaston are taking notice.

Father Joseph Crowley said there may have been an Eucharistic Miracle at the church earlier this month.

“What happened is our lord multiplied himself,” Crowley said.

Crowley said earlier this month, as an Eucharistic minister was handing out host, which is bread for communion, a miracle happened.

The number of hosts that minister had actually went up instead of down.

“We really do celebrate the life, death, resurrection of Jesus Christ and the alter, that the Eucharist really is the body soul and divinity of Jesus Christ and that all things are possible with God,” said Crowley.

When the minister suspected they were running out of hosts to pass out, Crowley said they glanced around to find more, but when that minister looked back down, more hosts had appeared.

By the time communion was over, Crowley said there seemed to be either as many or possibly even more hosts in the ciborium than there were when he had first handed it to the minister.

“It’s just so beautiful. God has been working so many miracles in our lives lately,” said Shaina Pia of Stratford.

Pia grew up in this church. When her mother-in-law told her what had happened, she piled her four kids into her car and drove up from Stratford to light candles and for those who need prayers and miracles.

“I think this is just a beautiful reminder from God during times that are challenging there’s always good in the world and that God is always present and with us,” Pia said.

“I feel like it gives people hope,” said Nestor Escalante.

When Escalante heard this happened minutes from his home in the small town of Thomaston, he was amazed.

“I believe in God and stuff like that and for something like this to happen so close to me, right there right in town, it’s pretty nice, might start going to the church,” said Escalante.

Eucharistic Miracles are extremely rare. In recorded history, there have only been about 100 total.

“This was one of those moments where God showed up in a very powerful, powerful way here. Pretty cool,” Crowley said.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all that god would come like he did in the manger of Bethlehem so long ago, come to a small little mighty humble town like this and make his presence real to all of us. He always does in Eucharist, but in this particular miracle especially,” said Pia.

The Archdiocese of Hartford said it’s looking into this possible miracle. Eyewitness News was told that could take about a week.

Copyright 2023 WFSB. All rights reserved.