Mauro DePasquale “I appreciate your point of view and opinion. The mission of the Mount Carmel Preservation Society (MPS) is not and should not be about me. “If you would like to find out about the mission of the Mount Carmel Preservation Society and perhaps learn why I have joined the many involved with the movement to fix the church and save the parish on Mullbery St., you know you are free to ask me. “There are many facts, details and levels involved which fuel the movement forward. The MPS is a large group of parishioners, in action with a plan to alleviate some of the burden of repair costs and to sustain the building for years to come. You are right all churches are crumbling. A new way of sustaining churches is needed. “I am not a person looking for or willing to accept a battle. I simply want to be of service and to help. I am not involved to ʽfight.’ I’m involved, as in other areas of my life, in a mission of service. “I am involved to help save one of Massachusetts’ top 10 historic most-endangered resources, a resource of historic significance to the Italian-American community and one that is also a vital neighborhood and religious community (key to Worcester’s identity as well). “BTW to express my opinion about any topic to my friends (EDITOR”S NOTE: On Facebook, for instance) is just that. It is not pointing a finger or criticizing a particular person. Again, please, to the point of my participation with the Mount Carmel Preservation Society, it is not and should not be about me.”
Chris George “Forgetting the religious intonations and structural deficiencies, I’d love to see Notre Dame saved for aesthetic purposes in our soon-to-be urban ʽresurrection.’ Every great downtown I’ve been in has a beautiful church edifice sandwiched between modern high rises.”
John Giangregorio “This isn’t about individuals. It’s about our city and region. Our story is about iconic masonry edifices noble, graceful and symbols of our various ethnic cultures, customs and languages that keep our area rich. The iconic neighborhood church itself is a part of our unique architectural and cultural history unique to the industrial urban northeast USA. When people think about town commons they think about religious freedom and the beginnings of self-rule. What we see on Catholic churches symbolizes our diversity and the hard-working immigrants who built these churches without government assistance and whose hard work made America great.”
John Monfredo “Great article, as always, and as a former member of Mount Carmel it is very hard to believe the church will no longer exist! 290 did it in and the state should have assisted the church in repairs years ago. Can it be saved? I’m not sure but I give Mauro lots of credit in trying.”
Ed Bourgault “I enjoyed and agreed with your thoughts re Mount Carmel. Even if someone or a group of people paid for all the necessary repairs, there are not enough parishioners to support the operating cost of the parish. Many parishes in the city are not able to keep up with operating costs due to the lack of parishioners or their lack of financial aid. Placing $1, $5 or $25 in the collection basket will not cover costs. Christ the King Church on Pleasant St. recently had a major problem, the ceiling fell. This is one of the few parishes that are financially sound and will be able to pay for repairs. If the failing churches experienced this type of disaster, they would be forced to close.”
Walter Spencer Amen!
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