A Sign of Hope for Parish: Scaffolding Taken down from Mater Dolorosa

By Neil Carroll
WGGB
June 29, 2012

http://www.wggb.com/2012/06/28/a-sign-of-hope-for-parish-scaffolding-taken-down-from-mater-dolorosa/

Now the scaffolding is gone and for the parish, that says it all.

“The diocese was claiming that the steeple was gonna fall down,” said Victor Anop, attorney for the Friends of the Mater Dolorosa. “As you can see today nothing is falling down here.”

Anop hired a private engineer to look into the safety concerns inside the church and it’s steeple and then present them to the city of Holyoke.

“So that showed that the scaffolding was up under false pretenses,” said Anop. ”There was no danger immediate or otherwise to the public or those who were in the church.”

Now the parish wants to begin practicing their faith back inside the church’s doors.

“We would hope that they would allow this church to act as a mission church and at least allow us one service a week,” said Anop.

But the catholic diocese on the other hand has made up their mind. They are sticking with the Vatican’s decision to close the church.

“That church is closed,” said Mark E. Dupont, spokesperson for the Catholic Diocese of Springfield. ”That’s been upheld so far with every decision the vatican has come forward and so far that’s our position that church is closed.

“I think when you have conflicting sides you have to air on the side of safety and precaution. Unless the city is ready to come out and say that they adimately feel that steeple is safe. They haven’t done that today. They’ve just said take the scaffolding down.”

Dupont says the church is a safety hazard but that both sides have agreed to bring their evaluations to the table sometime in the future. But for now, the diocese has no choice but to obey the rules of the city of holyoke.

“You can’t fight city hall,” said Dupont.