Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church now a memory

WORCESTER – The last main walls of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church crashed down under the jaws of large equipment in the midafternoon on Sept. 13 as former parishioners and other people watched. As had happened that morning, some asked a workman for bricks as a souvenir. Some reminisced, sharing memories of being part of the parish with their parents and grandparents. More than one, whatever their church affiliation now, called it a sad day.

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August 26, 2019
By Tanya Connor 
The Catholic Free Press 

    WORCESTER – Demolition of the outside of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church began Monday morning. Workers lifted the cross off the top within about a minute. Shortly thereafter they took off the base under it, and soon lowered both to the ground, where they were driven away in a truck. A few people watched, some taking photos. 
    Asked where the cross was going, a worker said they didn’t know yet. F & D Truck Company Inc. is handling the demolition. 
    “I was ready to go home this morning because they weren’t doing anything,” said John Gillio, who grew up at Our Lady of Mount Carmel and has been coming there to watch and pray. 
    “I was here 10 past 7,” said Mr. Gillio, who now belongs to Immaculate Conception Parish. He said workers were “very tight-lipped,” and one was taking something out of the church. 
    “I saw the big crane starting to go over to the tower, so I got suspicious,” he said. He saw the lift moving too. So he stayed, thanking God for keeping him there. 
    “I didn’t actually see them taking the cross off; it was so quick,” he said. But he saw them put the cross in the box in which it was lowered to the ground. 
    “So … they’re preserving the religious aspect that the cross has,” he said. “That’s why I came, to see what they were going to do around the tower.” 

    “I’m looking at it, saying my prayers,” said Deacon Gerald M.  Montiverdi, as he stood outside the church. He said he was thanking God for all the memories made there. 
    He was baptized at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church and was there his whole life, including his 38 years as a permanent deacon, he said. He continues to serve, now at the merged parish, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish at Our Lady of Loreto Church. He said the Italian-American heritage is still present, even though this church building is going. 

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August 21, 2019
By Tanya Connor and William T. Clew 
 The Catholic Free Press 
Lynn Assad wiped tears from her face after gazing at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church Wednesday, as workers prepared for its demolition. 
She said she and her twin, Lisa Assad, came to say their goodbyes, and added, “it’s almost like attending a wake.” 
“The church meant a lot to a lot of people,” Lynn Assad said. “It’s our roots.” 
It “kept the community tight,” added her sister. “It brought people in from other neighborhoods” for Masses and summer youth programs. 
The women said they were involved there, even while attending Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Mercy, the Maronite Church which was then on Mulberry Street too. Their father was Lebanese, their mother Italian. 
“We had stronger ties to this parish” Lynn Assad said. Because that’s where they brought their children up. 
Lynn said she transferred to the merged parish, Our Lady of Mount Carmel at Our Lady of Loreto Church, “because you need a place.” Her sister said she plans to too. 
“They’re very welcoming, from what I hear,” she said. 
Bishop McManus closed Our Lady of Mount Carmel in May 2016, due to safety concerns from structural issues, the estimated cost of rehabilitation and the parish’s inability to pay for it. Worship was moved to Our Lady of Loreto. In 2017 Bishop McManus merged the two Italian-American parishes. 
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church building remained closed as a private group called the Mount Carmel Preservation Society tried to save it. Recently Superior Court Judge Dennis M. Wrenn ruled against their last attempt to block demolition. 
Saturday members of the society went inside the church, despite “no trespassing” signs, but exited before police arrived, said Msgr. F. Stephen Pedone. The pastor found about 10 people inside the church. 
The group had held a prayer service outside and then some went in, said Msgr. Pedone and Mauro DePasquale, the society’s president. 
Someone had cut the wire holding the gate in the fence around the church, Msgr. Pedone said. 
Mr. DePasquale said the door was open. People were upset about the condition of the church inside, and many cried, he said. 
Msgr. Pedone said he told the people in the church to leave and that they were trespassing and one said, “So what? This is our church.” 
A man was trying to take a thermostat off the wall and others took pieces of marble, Msgr. Pedone said. 
 Worcester police arrived quickly but the people had left the building and some were sitting in their cars, he said. Since police  did not see anyone in the church they could not charge anyone for trespassing, he said. 
By Wednesday morning, F & D Truck Company Inc., which is doing the demolition, had gravel piled in front of the church to protect a gas main, and workers were still removing pieces of pews from inside. 
Robert Snape, F & D equipment operator, called the demolition “pretty sad.” 
“The first day it hurt me,” he said. “I used to come here … for a long time.” Then, he said, seeing the disarray he thought, “Better for it to come down before someone gets hurt.” He now belongs to St. Joseph Parish in Auburn, and goes to church where he feels comfortable. 
Some people who came by to watch the workers shared their thoughts and feelings with The Catholic Free Press. 
“This church could’ve been saved long ago,” Louis J. Cornacchioli said Wednesday. “The bishop’s office never helped us. 
“My mother loved this church,” he said. “A month before she died I brought her here for a final Mass. … There were tears in her eyes.” (She wasn’t sick but was 94, he said.) 
“This was a vibrant community,” he said, recalling the building and use of the recreation center. 
Though his family moved to Rutland and St. Patrick Parish there, he’d contribute to Our Lady of Mount Carmel and attend Christmas Eve Mass there, he said. 
“I was baptized here,” said a man who identified himself as Anthony and said he stopped going to church because of the priest scandal. “My parents were married here. We used to go to St. Ann’s (later merged with Our Lady of Mount Carmel). These same guys (F & D Truck Co.) knocked down St. Ann’s. That’s where I met them. I’d go watch them.” 
He said his mother’s father donated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel when it was being built, and his name is one of those on a large plaque, which “should be put up somewhere.” His parents’ names are on a small marble plaque in the parish center, he said, adding that people were told they could buy their family’s plaques for $50, which he didn’t seem to think was fair. 
Domenic Mercurio, now a member of the merged parish, was in Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s parking lot Monday for a beach bus trip with his wife and son. He said Joan D’Argenis, religious education director, periodically organizes such trips.      
“I didn’t sleep at all last night,” he said. “It’s a very bitter day. … This is hard because the Knights of Columbus started their council here. … My identity has always been based here.” He said he’s always been the Knights’ chancellor. 
“It’s our church, but we’re not in charge,” he said. “We have to accept things. We have to stay united with our priest. It’s a building, but a lot of us have a hard time accepting that it’s only a building, because of the memories.” 
Stopping to see what was happening at Our Lady of Mount Carmel this week, Michael Beaudry said he’d attended some Masses there, belonged to Christ the King Parish, and attends various churches now that he’s moved. 
“I just think it’s a sad day,” he said. “And I believe the Church is losing a lot of money because … the young people aren’t attending Church like we did when we were young. They just don’t feel connected with the Church. … 
“I think there’s a good portion that is the Church’s fault … because they have not moved forward. I think because of that and the abuse (scandal) … it’s causing (people) to find other options.” 
Asked what he meant by not moving forward he said, “Maybe women should be able to be priests or assistant priests or at least be able to state their opinions and have votes in certain situations.” 
“It’s a sad day when you’re taking down a church,” said Kathleen Coffey, a member of St. Peter Parish, who was waiting for a ride outside Our Lady of Mount Carmel Apartments where she lives. “I don’t want to be here when it goes on.” 
“I’m OK with it,” Mary Chenaille, another resident of the apartments, said of the demolition. She said she was never a member of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, but was raised Catholic and is now a Quaker with Worcester Friends Meeting. 
“It’s just in bad shape, parishioners have decreased, the funds aren’t there,” she said of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. “It’s time to say goodbye.” 



August 19, 2019

By Tanya Connor
The Catholic Free Press

Workmen and trucks from F & D Truck Company of Worcester arrived at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on Mulberry Street early this morning (Monday) to prepare the building for demolition.
The stained glass windows and other sacred objects had previously been removed. Workers Monday were taking out anything that was left inside the church.
Some people who were outside  the church for various reasons early today (Aug. 19) expressed sadness about its impending demolition.

    “It’s sad,” said a worker with F & D, who refused to give his name. “I was married here. My three children were baptized here.” He said it was unfortunate that the company “drew the straw” to do the demolition.
    “We have to clean the church out,” he said, shortly before workers began loading pieces of pews into an F & D vehicle to be taken to a warehouse. He said the inside of the church is in poor condition.
    He said it was hard to say when outside demolition would begin, but it would probably be next week. Demolition must be done more delicately than would happen with a wrecking ball, because of the church’s height, he said. Mulberry Street, which runs in front of the church, will have to be closed for the mechanized portion of the process, when large machinery is used, he said.
    Domenic Mercurio, who joined the merged parish, Our Lady of Mount Carmel at Our Lady of Loreto Church, came to Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s parking lot Aug. 19 to board a bus for a beach trip with his wife and son. He said Joan D’Argenis, religious education director, periodically organizes such trips.     
    “We reserved it a long time ago,” he said. “It’s not going to be fun,” given his fearful anticipation about what the site where the church stands would look like when they returned.
     “I didn’t sleep at all last night,” he said. “It’s a very bitter day.” Fearing the church’s demolition two weeks ago “I was so relieved when it was still here,” he said.
    “This is hard because the Knights of Columbus started their council here,” he said. “My identity has always been based here.” He said he’s always been the Knights’ chancellor.
    “It’s our church, but we’re not in charge,” he said. “We have to accept things. We have to stay united with our priest. It’s a building, but a lot of us have a hard time accepting that it’s only a building, because of the memories.”
    “It wasn’t just a building; we were a family,” said another beach trip participant, who refused to give her name. “I made all my sacraments here and I got married here. My children were starting to make their sacraments here.” They don’t know yet where they will go to church, she said. She said she taught religious education at Our Lady of Mount Carmel for 20 years.
    “It’s a sad day when you’re taking down a church,” said Kathleen Coffey, who lives at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Apartments and helps with one of the gardens between their building and the former rectory.
    “I don’t want to be here when it goes on,” she said of the demolition. “That’s why I booked my PT (physical therapy) today.” She was waiting for her ride between the rectory and apartment building.
    A member of St. Peter Parish, she said she was glad her 103-year-old neighbor, who belonged to Our Lady of Mount Carmel and recently died, didn’t have to see the demolition.
    “I’m OK with it,” Miss Coffey’s fellow-gardener Mary Chenaille said of the demolition. “It’s just in bad shape, parishioners have decreased, the funds aren’t there. It’s time to say goodbye. It’s happened to a lot of other churches. … The highway is too much for it.” She said she was never a member there, but was raised Catholic and is now a Quaker with Worcester Friends Meeting.

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August 1, 2019
 By William T. Clew 
And Tanya Connor 
The Catholic Free Press 

    Workmen removed windows and other items from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church this week in preparation for razing the building after Superior Court Judge Dennis M. Wrenn ruled against a request for a preliminary injunction which would have blocked the demolition. 
    In the morning on Aug. 1 Ken Paulson, of Paulson Stained Glass Studio, said all the windows that were to be removed were out and were going to be stored. He said some windows high in the church were staying and would go down with the building when it is demolished. He said he was working under Cole Contracting, Inc. of Worcester. 
    Tucker MacLeod of Cole Contracting said the company was moving everything that was to be removed; in May they had moved some items to Our Lady of Loreto’s property. 
    Helping the two men to load an organ onto a truck Aug. 1 was Nelson Jost, also working for Cole. Mr. Paulson then drove the truck with the organ off the premises. 
    The request for the injunction was submitted by the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Preservation Society, which has tried for several years to prevent the razing of the building. Several appeals to the Vatican were rejected and Judge Wrenn, in his decision for the diocese, noted the Vatican decisions. 
    The Preservation Society argued in their petition that demolition of the building required a review by the state under the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) because the work might cause environmental harm. Judge Wrenn said that the Preservation Society failed to establish a substantial risk of irreparable harm if their injunction was not granted. 
“The court has allowed us to go forward to demolish Our Lady of Mount Carmel,” said Msgr. F. Stephen Pedone, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish at Our Lady of Loreto Church on Massasoit Road. Msgr. Pedone, who grew up in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish on Mulberry Street, was pastor there when Bishop McManus closed the church and merged the parish with Our Lady of Loreto. 
“The Preservation Society has exhausted all its appeals to the Vatican, and the Holy See has given us permission to go forward with demolition of the church and eventual sale of the property,” he said. 
Msgr. Pedone said that when he announced Judge Wrenn’s decision at weekend Masses the congregations broke into applause. He said a number of people congratulated him and said they were happy that the parish now can move forward. 
After removal, the stained glass windows will be stored in Worcester temporarily, catalogued and then taken to New York by Adrian Hamers Inc., a company which deals with sacred articles. Hamers is a clearing house for those looking to purchase windows and other sacred objects. The windows will not be sold to individuals, Msgr. Pedone said, but to churches or chapels. 
As soon as all the windows are safely stored, demolition of the church will begin, according to Msgr. Pedone. F & D Trucking Co. of Worcester will do the demolition, which, it is estimated, will take no more than two days. The small rectory next to the church also will be razed. 
Attorneys for the parish have been instructed to negotiate a purchase and sale agreement with parties interested in buying the property. Msgr. Pedone said the names of the possible buyers are confidential. The property includes the church site, the parish center and a Little League baseball field.     
There is a summer youth program now using the  ball field and the parish center on Mulberry Street. 
“Our community is broken-hearted but remains, as it has during the entire three-year struggle, steadfast and thankful to their faith, parish, Church, and to their heritage and parish family,” Mauro DePasquale, Preservation Society president, said in a written statement after Judge Wrenn’s decision was announced. 
He congratulated those who supported the Preservation Society for their efforts and thanked “all who have supported and contributed to MPS’s efforts.” 
“Christ has promised us his love eternal and although one day the world and heavens will end, his word and his love, will never die,” he wrote. 
 “We always recognized that our true church of Christ resides in our hearts, especially as we heartily gather, two or more of us, together. Our community remains strong and awake. Our church has been rebuilt in the depths of our hearts. We will never forget ‘Our Lady of Mount Carmel.’”