As the stalemate between Mater Dolorosa parishioners and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield continues, both sides expressed hope for resolution, while standing firm to their respective positions.
Victor Anop, left, and Frank Galat, parishioners of the now closed Mater Dolorosa Parish Church in Holyoke, said that family history and a lack of transparency in the process to close the church are what led them along with several others to take over the building as they demand answers from and a conversation with Springfield Bishop Timothy McDonnell. HOLYOKE – Some Mater Dolorosa parishioners plan to spend their first Sunday in church today without permission from the diocese as they hold a continuous vigil until they get a meeting with the bishop and a chance to talk him out of his decision to close their historic church.
Mark Dupont, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, said Saturday Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell will not meet with the group until members leave the church.
“We are trying to be gentle and give them time to wrestle with their feelings, but we have been clear that we will not reward their illegal occupation by meeting a demand,” Dupont said. “If they leave the church, a meeting with the pastor and one of their representatives will be arranged with the bishop.”
The church has been officially closed since Thursday when the last Mass was held. Since then, parishioners have taken over the building, and according to many of those inside, they will stay as long as it takes.
The diocese cited the declining number of Catholics in the city, the location of Mater Dolorosa and structural damage as reasons for closing the church. A structural analysis, performed by Engineering Design Associates, Inc., of West Springfield, estimated the cost of repairs at $475,535.
The parish is merging with that of Holy Cross to create the newly minted Our Lady of the Cross parish, which will worship in the Sycamore Street church used formerly by Holy Cross. The inaugural Mass will be at 10:30 this morning. The diocese said previously that Mater Dolorosa pastor Father Alex B. Cymerman would move to the new church.
The Franciscan Friars Conventual of St. Anthony Province in the eastern United States have agreed to staff the new church, according to a press release from the friars. “For the past 107 years they have had charge of Mater Dolorosa. They also staff St. Stanislaus Basilica parish and St. Anthony parish, both in Chicopee. For 75 years, the Friars ran St. Hyacinth Seminary in Granby, until its closing in 2002,” the release stated.
The Very Rev. James McCurry, minister provincial of the Franciscan Friars, said in the release, “As we Franciscans lead the Catholics of the former Mater Dolorosa and Holy Cross parishes into a new era, we are emphasizing two themes: charity and unity.”
The historic church was built in 1896 when the many Polish immigrants lived in the neighborhood and worked in the nearby paper mills.
“My family has about 110 years of history with this church,” said parishioner Frank Galat said. “Relatives have been baptized, married, and died here. I was born and raised on Lyman Street and my parents were born and raised here too. This church is a part of our family history.”
Galat said that the group is doing their best to keep their spirits up, but he isn’t sure a meeting with the bishop will materialize.
“We’re hopeful, but we’re not optimistic,” Galat said. “He promised to come and speak with us before he did close the church but he never showed up. The only time he came was to speak at us was the last Mass.”
Fellow parishioner Victor Anop said that church members never had a chance to chime in on the subject, a point which Dupont disputes.
“Let me be clear, this process began in late 2004/early 2005 when the bishop made a public announcement that there would be changes to the diocese and elimination of parishes,” Dupont said.
“We brought in a business group from the University of Massachusetts and their recommendations were brought to a pastoral planning committee which transposed it from business to the church. At that time, there were a series of public meetings where the public and parishioners were encouraged to speak their minds on the mergers and closings. Then in August 2009, the announcement was made to close Mater Dolorosa and since then, they have been working toward the merger with Holy Cross.”
“The closing of this parish and many others just don’t meet the modern expectation of due process,” Anop said. “People used to be content just doing what they were told, but those times are gone. When the church was built, the Polish immigrants were content trusting the word of the church, but now we are Polish-Americans, and we expect to have a process we are comfortable working with; one of transparency.”
Anop and others inside the church said they believe the breakdown of communications between the diocese and the parishioners is something that has happened over time and contributed to the current disagreement.
Dupont said before parishioners ask for a meeting with the bishop they should apologize for the behavior shown at the last Sunday Mass, where someone yelled “Liar” as McDonnell spoke about
Structural Conditions Assessment Report of the Mater Dolorosa Parish Church
the parish’s $750,000 debt. Protesters held signs saying “Thou shalt not kill Mater Dolorosa Church” and “The diocese weakens cultural togetherness.”
“People are upset and at the end of the day, we are just men with emotions,” Anop said. “But shouldn’t the bishop, a man of God, be more forgiving than this? We want resolution as much as he does but we aren’t going anywhere until we can have our representatives speak with the bishop and voice our specific concerns and ideas for saving our church.”
Said Dupont, “They remain our brothers and sisters in faith but this is a family squabble, there is no doubt about it. But as the merged church attempts to move into the future together, I hope these parishioners understand the impact they are having on a future we are attempting to walk together.”