Upcoming events at the Sisters of St Joseph Convent chapel at Lochinvar have been cancelled until further notice after a suspicious fire damaged the building.
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Emergency services were called to the chapel on the New England Highway about 3am Saturday to reports of a blaze.
Firefighters attended and managed to contain the fire to the interior of the chapel.
A Rural Fire Service spokesperson said the building suffered “a lot of smoke damage” internally, but the fire did not completely destroy the structure.
The chapel was used by both the Sisters of St Joseph and by St Joseph’s College Lochinvar.
A spokesperson for the Maitland-Newcastle Catholic Dioceses said the fire caused “significant damage” but it was too soon to provide a cost estimate.
The chapel is near the sisters’ residence and about 25 metres away from the nearest school building – but neither of those were damaged by the fire.
Police and firefighters are investigating.