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	Diocese of Springfield Believes That Church Should Be Removed from State Listing The Iobserve July 17, 2010 http://iobserve.org/rn0716b.html SPRINGFIELD – The Great Places in Massachusetts Commission has listed a closed diocesan church in the Diocese of Springfield as one of "1,000 great places in Massachusetts to visit," something the diocese feels is inappropriate. St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Adams, which was officially closed by the diocese in December of 2008 but has since had people keeping 24-hour vigil there, is listed as an attraction in the commission's list which was released July 12 at a Beacon Hill press conference. Among other Adams locations in the listing were Mount Greylock State Reservation, Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum, The Quaker Meeting House and Veterans Memorial Tower "Our churches, though beautiful, are not built to be tourist attractions, but rather houses of worship," said Mark E. Dupont, public affairs director for the Diocese of Springfield. The Great Places in Massachusetts Commission compiled the list after accepting suggestions from the public over the last several months. "Interestingly enough, for something the Commonwealth seemingly worked so hard on, we were not even consulted prior to the inclusion of this closed church on the official state listing. Those responsible need to issue an immediate correction so as not to mislead anyone," Dupont wrote in a July 16 statement. "Sadly, in recent years, we have had to consolidate a number of parishes and beautiful churches across western Massachusetts, including in Adams, all done – no doubt with great pain and difficulty – but ultimately for the collective good of the entire Catholic community," the statement concluded.
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