SPENCER - Saddened by the six-foot chain-link fence surrounding St. Mary's
Church - and its implication - the Rev. James F. Hoey, pastor of Mary
Queen of the Rosary parish, said yesterday the parish was blessed by having
Our Lady of the Rosary Church in which to worship.
"Father Jim," as Rev. Hoey is known to the 1,200 families that make
up the parish, said yesterday that long-term use of St. Mary's
is in doubt and that short-term use of the sanctuary or church hall had
been precluded by the collapse of a substantial portion of the lower facade on
the south tower of the church.
He said the future of
St.
Mary's would be discussed at a meeting
open to the parish at 6 p.m. tomorrow in Our Lady of the Rosary
Church
hall.
"I will reflect on what has happened in a spiritual sense at Mass on
Sunday, but I will not be answering questions. A representative of the
Chancery will attend Sunday night's meeting, and at that time the Pastoral
Planning Committee and the parish Finance Committee will make a recommendation
regarding the future of
St.
Mary's."
Over the next two weeks, during which time Route 31 will be detoured from
Maple Street via Adams, McDonald and Prospect streets, the facade will be
stabilized, Rev. Hoey said.
He said that, because of concerns about the tower facade, the last Mass
celebrated in
St.
Mary's Church was Jan. 8. "We had
that warm rain on Saturday followed by the very cold weather, and we believe
that pushed out the already loosened bricks and mortar."
He said the building was inspected by the facilities director of the Worcester
Diocese and a structural engineer.
"They went through the entire building and determined that the entire
front wall posed a potential threat to safety, and that's why the decision was
made to have the entire building fenced," Rev. Hoey said.
Town Administrator Carter Terenzini said, after pieces of the facade came off
the building earlier this week, the town had developed a plan for a detour
around Maple Street (Route 31) and posted a "No Entry" sign on the
front doors of the
church.
Route 31 is blocked at McDonald and Prospect streets.
School superintendent Ralph E. Hicks said yesterday the detour represents only
a minor inconvenience to the staff and students at Maple Street School, across
McDonald Street from
St.
Mary's.
He said staff members have had to find another place to park other than
McDonald Street and buses have been rerouted.
Mr. Terenzini said he was told by the parish that on Monday, Consigli
Construction would begin removing or rebuilding the tower facade based on the
recommendations of the structural engineer.
Work will begin on the Maple Street side and will take approximately two
weeks, he said, adding that once the building is stabilized, Route 31 would be
reopened.
Mr. Terenzini said yesterday he had spoken with the police department and the
Utilities and Facilities department and there had been no reports of problems
as a result of the detour put in place late Thursday afternoon.
"We're going to hope for a continuation of this nice weather and hope for
the best."
Rev. Hoey, pastor here for the past decade, said the parish faces a
significant challenge and decisions will be made as to the relocation of
religious education and all other events and activities that have occurred in
St.
Mary's.
CUTLINE: Jersey barriers block Maple Street (Route 31) in front of
St.
Mary's
Church. Bricks and mortar from the facade have fallen from the tower.
Motorists will have to endure the detour for weeks.
PHOTO T&G Staff/DAN GOULD Jersey barriers block Maple Street (Route 31)
in front of St. Mary's Church. Bricks and mortar from
the facade have fallen
from the tower. Motorists will have to endure the detour for weeks.
SPENCER - There will likely be no chance for parishioners to even take a
last look inside St. Mary's Church before the building is
razed, but the more than 200 worshipers who gathered last night at Our Lady of
the Rosary Church, where they'll now celebrate Mass every week, were
taking the news well.
"Can we move the pews from St. Mary's here?" one man
asked, noting that the St. Mary's pews are more comfortable.
St.
Mary's Church has been deemed unsafe after falling
bricks and granite forced the closing of Maple Street last week. While the
building will be shored up in a temporary effort to prevent any more bricks
from falling, it is probably not worth saving, worshipers learned last night.
"What we've got is a pile of bricks with nothing holding it up," the
Rev. James Hoey, pastor of Mary, Queen of the Rosary Parish, said. "We've
got a building that's ready to fall down."
The problems began on Jan. 15 when a maintenance man noticed bricks and
granite had fallen from the face of the
church onto the sidewalk. A
second incident on Wednesday prompted the road closing and a "sealing of
the building" with no one allowed inside.
A structural engineer, the town's building inspector and
church
officials gathered for inspections. In the end they learned that the cost for
saving the 1880s-era building would be about $3 million. That would involve
taking the building down and rebuilding it, brick by brick.
Mortar that once held the bricks in place has washed away as water got in
between them. Rev. Hoey always thought the
church was
"pretty" because the mortar lines couldn't be seen. Now he's learned
that's because the mortar had been reduced to sand.
Because the parish is composed of two
churches, parishioners will have
a place to worship. The parishes of Our Lady of the Rosary and
St.
Mary's,
separated by a parking lot, were combined in 1994. Still, there are those who
once belonged to the "French
church" who want a second
opinion.
Paul R. Aucoin said he'd like another engineer to look at the building just to
be sure it can't be saved.
School Superintendent Ralph Hicks, who's working on a plan to allow some
Religious Education classes to be moved to Maple Street School, agreed.
"For the sake of the people who love that
church - it's one of a
kind," Mr. Hicks said. "And when it's gone, not only is a piece of
the parish gone, a piece of Spencer is gone."
While more opinions will cost more money, if the parish agrees, Rev. Hoey
said, that could be done.
Monsignor Thomas Sullivan said the Diocese of Worcester cannot shoulder the
demolition costs but can offer a loan. Many of the items from
St.
Mary's
could also be sold to help pay for part of the demolition. Stained glass
windows, the altar, organ, copper and even slate roof tiles all have value.
Some items will be moved into Our Lady of the Rosary
Church, as well.
Rev. Hoey hopes to someday build a new parish center since the one beneath the
church will probably not be salvageable.
Work is slated to begin today to shore up the building.
Last night committees were assembled to begin dealing with various aspects of
the project. One of those committees is charged with praying until the project
is complete.
CUTLINE: (1) Diane Ledoux listens during the meeting of parishioners and
diocesan officials on the fate of
St.
Mary's Church. (2)
Paul Aucoin said he'd like another engineer to look at the building, just to
be sure it can't be saved.
PHOTOG: T&G Staff/CHRISTINE PETERSON
PHOTOS (1) Diane Ledoux listens during the meeting of parishioners and
diocesan officials on the fate of St. Mary's Church.
(2) Paul Aucoin said he'd
like another engineer to look at the building, just to be sure it can't be
saved. T&G Staff/CHRISTINE PETERSON