Friends of Mater Dolorosa in Holyoke to Hold Christmas Prayer Event outside Closed Church

By Jeanette DeForge
The Republican
December 24, 2012

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/12/friends_of_mater_dolorosa_in_h_3.html

The Mater Dolorosa Church building in Holyoke.

Friends of Mater Dolorosa will hold a Christmas prayer event at 11 a.m. on Christmas in front of the closed Mater Dolorosa Church at Maple and Lyman streets.

The group, which has appealed the decision of the Most Rev. Timothy A. McDonnell, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, to the Vatican, held a round-the-clock vigil inside the church for more than a year to protest the closing of the church and the merger of its parish with that of Holy Cross Church. The new parish, called Our Lady of the Cross, worships at the former Holy Cross Church on Sycamore Street.

Protesters decided to end the vigil in June after the Apostolic Signatura, which is the Vatican’s supreme court, agreed to hear the appeal but told protesters to leave the church and ordered the bishop to refrain from destroying or selling the building.

The event, which will last about 40 minutes and include holiday songs and prayers, will be dedicated to re-opening the church.