NORTHAMPTON — The Springfield Diocese’s decision to vacate and sell St. Mary of the Assumption Church sparked a years-long battle over the status of the Elm Street property, now for sale, that went as far as the Vatican.
Seven years later, the battle beat goes on.
Leaders in the diocese assert the iconic church, with its commanding view of the downtown from its perch on the Elm Street rise, is not accessible enough to parishioners and is financially impractical to maintain.
But many parishioners have questioned those points from the start, and two of them recently conducted an analysis of their own. Dana Carpenter, a financial planning consultant who served on St. Mary’s finance board, and Deacon Bernard Fleury argue Sacred Heart on King Street, now the primary place of worship for the Northampton parish, has been just as costly to upgrade, and will never be as beautiful or historic as St. Mary’s.
The Rev. Francis Reilly, of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish, said Monday the parish has so far spent about $800,000 on getting Sacred Heart in working order. A diocesan study estimated St. Mary’s needed between $1 million and $1.3 million in repairs, including work on the steeples.
“There’s no hope to reopen that as the main place of worship,” Reilly said Monday.
‘Big puzzle’In 2010, the Springfield diocese decided to close several churches and consolidate five Northampton parishes into one. St. Mary’s and St. John Cantius on Hawley Street closed at that time.
Mark Dupont, a spokesman for the diocese, said Colebrook Realty is accepting proposals for St. Mary’s on its behalf. Reilly said a proposal to turn St. John Cantius into a housing project recently “fell through,” leaving the parish to explore alternative options.
“It’s a big puzzle,” Reilly said. “You have to put all these pieces together.”
Dupont declined to comment on any offers the diocese might have received for St. Mary’s.
Carpenter and Fleury said they’ve raised enough questions to warrant answers, but they haven’t been able to get them from the diocese.
“The only thing they tell us is the bishop made his decision and it’s final, like a dictatorship,” Carpenter said. “No one is willing to sit down and talk.”
Dupont rejects the assertion the diocese is unilaterally making decisions about St. Mary’s.
“That decision was made years ago, and that was made at the request of people in Northampton,” he said. “They just need to read back on their history and they’ll see — we were very open and transparent at the time we reversed course on this decision.”
He said it’s a misconception that the diocese dictates these things.
“It was an idea that came from Northampton,” he said.
But Carpenter said the decision makes no sense.
“It’s just such a no-brainer from the financial aspect of it,” Carpenter said.
“And the worship aspect of it,” Fleury said.
Carpenter said parking access at the property can be addressed easily, as was the plan before diocesan leaders decided to change course and make Sacred Heart the primary place of worship. And he said the church had already been outfitted with handicapped-accessible amenities.
“Everything was in pretty good shape,” he said. “We had plenty of money in the bank to make it perfect.”
Reilly said “even though it’s a beautiful church,” he doesn’t think such a parking plan would ever have been possible.
“There’s no turning back,” he said. “We’re going forward.”
Fleury said “the bad things they dream up about St. Mary’s” would have been less expensive to address than those of Sacred Heart.
In March 2010, after reviewing the diocese’s report on the building, former Northampton Building Commissioner Anthony L. Patillo declared the main roof and northwest steeple of the church did not pose a public safety hazard.
“Where’s the facts?” Fleury asked, his voice growing louder.
They said what’s unfolding at Mater Dolorosa in Holyoke, whose building commissioner has accused the diocese of misinformation, reflects the “same tactics.”
Plus, they said, the parish could likely get more by selling Sacred Heart because it’s so close to downtown and can more easily be repurposed.
“It has a lot of commercial appeal, being that close to downtown,” Carpenter said, estimating the parish could sell it for as much as $4 million. “A fraction of that will get St. Mary’s in working order. You could have an extra $3 million sitting in an account for the local parish.”
As for worship at the King Street property, Carpenter said, “it can never even come close to St. Mary’s.”
“It makes no sense,” he said, adding that while he respects church leaders, “they’re not infallible.”
“Both of us are good Catholics,” Fleury said. “We practice our faith and we’re practicing it right now.”
Reilly said he understands why some parishioners remain upset about St. Mary’s.
“It’s just a natural reaction to the sadness of the loss of the property,” he said. “This is something that is beyond my control.”
Dupont said all Carpenter and Fleury are doing is opening up old wounds.
“I think they’re speculating. I don’t think they have the full knowledge,” he said, adding “that ship has sailed.”
“The evidence suggests the majority of parishioners have accepted the decisions that were made and are willing to move ahead.”
Amanda Drane can be contacted at adrane@gazettenet.com.