EAST WILLIAMSBURG, Brooklyn (PIX11) -- After a fire devastated their church in Brooklyn during Easter Sunday mass, parishioners joined their priest in salvaging all that they could from the sanctuary on Easter Monday, and vowing to worship together again off-site as soon as possible. It was the latest in a story very much in keeping with the Easter holiday: of rising up in triumph over a heartbreaking loss.

Firefighters were on the scene all day on Easter Monday at Our Lady of the Rosary Pompeii Church. They were on hand as part of an investigation into what happened, and to guard against any flare-ups or other problems following the massive fire at the Seigel Street house of worship.

It broke out at around 1:30 p.m. Easter Sunday. Parishioner Salvador Gonzales was among the 140 people who'd been in attendance in the church sanctuary.

"When it start[ed] to smoke," he said on Monday, recounting the ordeal, "everybody was scared, because it makes the whole church black."

The church sanctuary, where the Easter mass was being celebrated, is attached to a parish center and rectory. It's a two-story building that was housing some asylum seekers, according to parishioners, and plays host to some church events, and also contains offices.

The fire started in the parish center/rectory building, said worshippers, who were also eyewitnesses. They recounted how the smoke started to quickly spread from the parish center into the sanctuary, where Easter mass was being celebrated.

Benny Mendez was among the attendees at the Eastern afternoon mass.

"The priest came out," Mendez recalled, "and said, 'Everybody get out! Everybody get out! Everybody get out!'"

Mendez was one of a variety of parishioners who said that Father Romolo Marin's evacuation order saved the worshipers' lives and safety.

Father Romolo's response, which the native Spanish speaker made through an interpreter, was humble.

"I did what I was supposed to do," the parish priest said. "I'm not a hero. I did what I was supposed to do."

The priest and parishioners said they are thankful that there were no serious injuries. Six people did get hurt, but their injuries were easily treatable. A firefighter fell through a floor while fighting the blaze. It prompted the commander on scene to raise a mayday call, which resulted in all on-scene personnel to leave the building and fight the fire with water cannons from outside, only.

"Maybe God was there looking at people," said Frank Plaza, a neighbor whose wife attends services at the church daily.

Many in the congregation and in the neighborhood are calling it a miracle that there was no loss of life.

They are looking ahead to next steps, and showed on Monday afternoon that they're doing so physically.

A few dozen parishioners came to the church and moved statues of saints, tables of prayer candles, lecterns, candelabras, and other items from the partially-damaged church sanctuary into the gymnasium next door.

There, said Father Romolo, they hope to worship again by this Sunday at the latest. They were waiting for an official okay from the city's Department of Buildings.

Meanwhile, that same department issued a demolition order for the parish hall/rectory.

According to a spokesperson for the Diocese of Brooklyn, which administers the Our Lady of Pompeii Parish, the site will be secured on Tuesday to prepare for demolition, "and then the Diocese will look to the next phase."

Father Romolo said that that phase means rebuilding.

"Everything happens for a reason," he said through an interpreter. "So this will be a new creation, so a new creation will come from this."