St. Mary's Church

 

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Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA)
January 21, 2006
Author:  Bradford L. Miner
Estimated printed pages: 3

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.

Index Terms: CENTRAL MASS,TOWNS,CATHOLICS,CHURCHES,STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE
Dateline:  SPENCER
Copyright (c) 2006 Worcester Telegram & Gazette Corp.
Record Number:  0601218411

Spencer parishioners hear of church's fate

 

Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA)
January 23, 2006
Author:  Kim Ring
 

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

Index Terms: CENTRAL MASS,WORC DIOCESE,CATHOLICS,CHURCHES,STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE,DEMOLITION
Dateline:  SPENCER
Copyright (c) 2006 Worcester Telegram & Gazette Corp.
Record Number:  0601233262