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Quake-hit Mexico church with iconic Virgin image gets rehab

Parishioner Carlos Jimenez Taboada walks on the exterior of the central nave towards the quake-damaged dome of the Our Lady of the Angels Catholic church in Mexico City, Mexico, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. Set in the working-class residential neighborhood of Guerrero and carrying one of the Virgin Mary's titles, Our Lady of the Angels’ history dates to the end of the 16th century. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

A crack runs along a transept wall that supports the dome of the quake-damaged Our Lady of the Angels Catholic church, in the Guerrero neighborhood of Mexico City, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. After months of work to stabilize the structure, phase two has now begun on the restoration project. As the five-year anniversary of the Sept. 19, 2017 quake nears, parishioners are still attending Mass on the street just outside the temple. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

Scaffolding supports the interior of the quake-damaged Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church, as parishioners carry off flowers that had adorned a painting of the Assumption of the Virgin to be offered to faithful, in Mexico City, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. The National Institute of Anthropology and History, who is funding and carrying out the restoration project, began work on the temple in September 2019, two years after the Sept. 19, 2017 quake. Phase one involved stabilizing the structure with steel supports to prevent further loss, and covering the collapsed dome to keep out rainwater. That ended in December 2020, and since then it has been a long wait for phase two, which began Aug. 8. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

Maria Elena Corona explains how she helped create posters that illustrate the history of Our Lady of the Angels virgin, as she sits outside the quake-damaged Our Lady of the Angels Catholic church, in Mexico City, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. Corona, who first set foot in the sanctuary half a century ago, has moved several times since but always found herself drawn to return. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

Rev. Adrian Vazquez checks his cell phone after officiating an outdoor Mass backdropped by a makeshift altar constructed by devotees, just outside the quake-damaged Our Lady of the Angels Catholic church, in Mexico City, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. Vazquez was assigned to the parish in 2019 and tasked with leading what he called a “comprehensive recovery” of the parish, both physically and as a spiritual community. Since the building was damaged in the Sept. 19, 2017 earthquake, many parishioners began attending other churches. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

Catholics line up to receive Communion from Rev. Adrian Vazquez during an outdoor Mass held under a tent just outside the quake-damaged Our Lady of the Angels church in Mexico City, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. Set in the working-class residential neighborhood of Guerrero and carrying one of the Virgin Mary's titles, Our Lady of the Angels’ history dates to the end of the 16th century. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

Devotees kneel in prayer during an outdoor Mass held under a tent just outside the quake-damaged Our Lady of the Angels Catholic church, in the Guerrero neighborhood of Mexico City, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. According to the National Institute of Anthropology and History, Our Lady of the Angels is the second most important temple in Mexico City after the internationally revered Basilica of Guadalupe. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

A runner jogs past as Rev. Adrian Vazquez celebrates an outdoor Mass held under a tent just outside the quake-damaged Our Lady of the Angels Catholic church, in the Guerrero neighborhood of Mexico City, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. Just weeks before the anniversary of the Sept. 19, 2017, quake, Vazquez announced to his parishioners that work is resuming on restoration of the Catholic temple. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

Rev. Adrian Vazquez's cell phone is set on a tripod live streaming an outdoor Mass held under a tent just outside the quake-damaged Our Lady of the Angels Catholic church which is undergoing restorations, in the Guerrero neighborhood of Mexico City, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. While there’s still no fixed end date for the restoration of the temple that was damaged in the Sept. 19, 2017 earthquake, Vazquez said the church is showing signs of rebirth. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

Rev. Adrian Vazquez makes his entrance procession as his cell phone set on a tripod live streams the beginning of an outdoor Mass held under a tent just outside the quake-damaged Our Lady of the Angels Catholic church, in the Guerrero neighborhood of Mexico City, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. The 38-year-old priest is constantly urging his flock to invite others to the congregation, working to improve its social media presence. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

Debris caused by an earthquake five years ago sits stacked next to a table with a donations basket and bottles of antibacterial gel for parishioners arriving to an outdoor Mass held under a tent just outside Our Lady of the Angels Catholic church, as it undergoes restoration work, in the Guerrero neighborhood of Mexico City, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

Religious statues protected with bubble wrap sit in storage inside Our Lady of the Angels Catholic church, in Mexico City, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. The National Institute of Anthropology and History is funding and carrying out the restoration project. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

Parishioners remove a portion of a flower arch surrounding a painted copy portraying the Assumption of the Virgin inside the quake-damaged Our Lady of the Angels Catholic church, in Mexico City, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. During restoration efforts the image is boxed off in a protective framework and covered by glass and wood panels that open and close like a book. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

A devotee sits inside the Our Lady of the Angels Catholic parish where black tarps protect religious statues, during a restoration of the building that was damaged in an earthquake five years ago, in Mexico City, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. Just weeks before the anniversary of the Sept. 19, 2017, quake, Rev. Adrian Vazquez announced to his parishioners that restoration work was resuming on the Catholic temple, which houses a treasured painting of the Assumption of the Virgin considered miraculous for having survived floods and earthquakes. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

Scaffolding supports the damaged dome of Our Lady of the Angels Catholic church, damaged by an earthquake five years ago, in Mexico City, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. The National Institute of Anthropology and History is funding and carrying out the restoration project. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

A resident walks her dogs past the Our Lady of the Angels Catholic church, in Mexico City, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. A devastating earthquake in 2017 caused severe damage to the historic church, which is home to a much-revered image of the Virgin Mary. She is considered miraculous for having survived earthquakes and floods. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

Rev. Adrian Vazquez celebrates an outdoor Mass under a white tent outside the quake-damaged Our Lady of the Angels church, in the working-class Guerrero neighborhood of Mexico City, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. Pictured right is a wax painting of Our Lady of the Angels, a replica of the one on the wall inside the church, home to the revered image of the Virgin Mary, its history dating to the end of the 16th century. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

Quake-hit Mexico church with iconic Virgin image gets rehab