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Does anyone have any experience in petitioning for a site to be added to the rolls of National Historic Places? (or National Monuments, or whatever designation a church would take?
There is a series of churches in Adams, MA that were built during the mill-booms.
Notre Dame des Sept Douleurs, the Irish Church.
St. Thomas Aquinas, the French Church.
St. Stanislaus Kostka, the Polish Church.
They are all enormous, beautiful structures in their own right, but the crowning jewel is St. Stan's.
Due to "declining attendance" (funny, St. Stans has always been full when I've been there,) but more likely, the mismanagement of one biased priest who has little respect for the parishes and parishioners of Adams who administers to all three sites, (and who greatly enjoys living in the mansion-like accommodations the Notre Dame site provides,) St. Thomas's and St. Stans were announced as part of the Jan. 1st closures.
To loose St. Thomas's is sad, but the parish had be in decline for the last decade+. Most parishioners have been absorbed into the Parishes of Notre Dame and St. Stan's. The building and art of St. Thomas, while beautiful, is not remarkable, save for it's good taste.
The Nortre Dame structure is perhaps the plainest, most boring, and most ill-designed of the structures. It radiates arrogant dominance. It has a lovely, huge, painfully maintained detached residence for it's priest, though.
Loosing St. Stans would be nothing short of a sin. It's parish, while not huge, is maintaining, if not growing. It's architecture has been remarked upon - at it's centennial not 10 years ago or so, it was called the prettiest little cathedral in New England. It houses the last catholic elementary school in Adams, and services all the surrounding towns. It has been neglected and ignored by the one administrator, and many of the parishioners are of the opinion that he's intentionally racked up bills on the place in order to make it look unmanageable. It is a huge building, but there are certain cost-saving measures that the past administrators took that this one seems to willfully ignore.
I hate politic-ing, and it appears that this is what it's about. I'm removed from the religion of my youth, but the artist, the historian in me, the me who can still vaguely remember my great Uncle Stanislaus reading from a Polish hymnal in those pews is distressed that this wonderful asset will be lost forever.
What will they do? Tear it down? Convert it into condos? Both ideas leave me feeling sick.
So if you have any idea how to get it protected, I'm all ears.
- K.
There is a series of churches in Adams, MA that were built during the mill-booms.
Notre Dame des Sept Douleurs, the Irish Church.
St. Thomas Aquinas, the French Church.
St. Stanislaus Kostka, the Polish Church.
They are all enormous, beautiful structures in their own right, but the crowning jewel is St. Stan's.
Due to "declining attendance" (funny, St. Stans has always been full when I've been there,) but more likely, the mismanagement of one biased priest who has little respect for the parishes and parishioners of Adams who administers to all three sites, (and who greatly enjoys living in the mansion-like accommodations the Notre Dame site provides,) St. Thomas's and St. Stans were announced as part of the Jan. 1st closures.
To loose St. Thomas's is sad, but the parish had be in decline for the last decade+. Most parishioners have been absorbed into the Parishes of Notre Dame and St. Stan's. The building and art of St. Thomas, while beautiful, is not remarkable, save for it's good taste.
The Nortre Dame structure is perhaps the plainest, most boring, and most ill-designed of the structures. It radiates arrogant dominance. It has a lovely, huge, painfully maintained detached residence for it's priest, though.
Loosing St. Stans would be nothing short of a sin. It's parish, while not huge, is maintaining, if not growing. It's architecture has been remarked upon - at it's centennial not 10 years ago or so, it was called the prettiest little cathedral in New England. It houses the last catholic elementary school in Adams, and services all the surrounding towns. It has been neglected and ignored by the one administrator, and many of the parishioners are of the opinion that he's intentionally racked up bills on the place in order to make it look unmanageable. It is a huge building, but there are certain cost-saving measures that the past administrators took that this one seems to willfully ignore.
I hate politic-ing, and it appears that this is what it's about. I'm removed from the religion of my youth, but the artist, the historian in me, the me who can still vaguely remember my great Uncle Stanislaus reading from a Polish hymnal in those pews is distressed that this wonderful asset will be lost forever.
What will they do? Tear it down? Convert it into condos? Both ideas leave me feeling sick.
So if you have any idea how to get it protected, I'm all ears.
- K.
