Victor Anop, of Chicopee, a longtime member of Mater Dolorosa, said a handful of protesters will stay overnight in the church.
Mater Dolorosa Church parishioners begin a continuous vigil to keep Holyoke church open.HOLYOKE – Parishioners continued their occupation Friday of Mater Dolorosa Church in an effort to stop the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield from closing the historically Polish church.
Victor Anop, of Chicopee, a longtime member of Mater Dolorosa, said a handful of protesters will stay overnight in the church. “Our position is that we are all members of this church and the church is open for people to pray,” Anop said.
The church was to have closed following 8 a.m. Mass Thursday, but some parishioners stayed after that service of worship as a form of protest.
Mark E. Dupont, a spokesman for the diocese, said Friday he doesn’t expect there to be any significant developments in the matter during the next few days.
This is the second church occupation in the Springfield diocese. Parishioners at St. Stanislaus Kostka in Adams have occupied it since Dec. 26, 2008. Five Boston churches have been occupied since 2004.