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.’”