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Friends of Mater Dolorosa in Holyoke to hold vigil in front of Springfield residence of Bishop Timothy McDonnell

Organizers say they are requesting a meeting to discuss the details of the closing of the church

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SPRINGFIELD – Friends of Mater Dolorosa in Holyoke will conduct a vigil at the Elliot Street resident of the Most Rev. Timothy A. McDonnell, bishop of the Diocese of Springfield, on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

Organizers have been requesting a meeting to discuss the details of the closing of the church and its alternatives.

The Friends of Mater Dolorosa have been holding a continuous vigil in the church since June 30 in protest its closing. McDonnell said the structural problems with the steeple is one reason the church was chosen to be closed.

The bishop has refused to meet with the group, saying he will not meet with the group since they are occupying private property without permission.

Victor Anop, of Chicopee, one of the vigil organizers, said members of the Friends of Mater Dolorosa have offered to leave the church if McDonnell compromises and agrees to keep the church open for two masses a week, one of which would be in polish.

This is the second vigil the protesters have held at the Bishop’s residence. The first was in late June before the church closed.

Engineers for Engineering Design Associates Inc., which was hired by the diocese to examine the church, said the steeple could be dangerous in high winds.“It is only a matter of time before there is either a partial or complete failure of the wooded framed steeple structure. Even a partial collapse would not only jeopardize the occupants and their immediate surrounds but could possibly cause a ‘domino’ effect threatening a much larger area,” the report said.

An engineer hired by Friends of Mater Dolorosa on Wednesday contradicted the diocesan report about serious structural concerns in the church steeple and said it could be fixed for less than $1,000.

“The steeple is not going to fall down,” said Neal B. Mitchell, president of Neal Mitchell Associates of Northbridge and a registered structural engineer.

Other work, including the repointing of brickwork, would bring overall repairs to about $25,000, Mitchell said, The Engineering Design Associates report put the cost at about $119,000.

Mater Dolorosa merged with Holy Cross to create a new parish, Our Lady of the Cross. It is located in the former Holy Cross church.


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