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Feb. 7, 2012
By Debbie Gardner
debbieg@thereminder.com
WEST SPRINGFIELD — By noon today, more than half the former St. Ann’s Church on Memorial Avenue had been reduced to rubble.
But, according to Mark Dupont, chief executive officer, Catholic Communications, Diocese of Springfield, the church’s beautiful stained glass windows are safe in storage, awaiting new life in another church or diocese building. It’s a process the diocese has performed before when buildings are sold or re-purposed.
“Before we close the deal, we remove [the stained glass],” Dupont said, explaining that in the case of these intricate windows, the scenes actually have to be disassembled for storage.
“A chart is made so that they can be reassembled [at a later time],” Dupont explained.
Dupont said St Ann’s, which was classified as a mission and not a parish by the diocese, closed because of declining attendance in late 2008. Its lay community was merged with another parish to form the St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Church on Main Street.
The property was sold to the The Colvest Group Ltd. of Windsor, Conn. on Oct. 21, 2011 for $650,000, and reportedly will be used as retail space. Associated Building Wreckers is handling the demolition.
See the Feb. 15 edition of the Reminder MetroWest for the rest of the story.
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