News - May 2016 RSS Feed

May 31, 2016, WORCESTER, MA – The Office for Vocations has announced that on Saturday, June 4 at 10:00 am Most Rev. Robert J. McManus, Bishop of Worcester will ordain Diego Buritica and Wilmar Ramos to the Priesthood. The Liturgy of Ordination will take place at the Cathedral of St. Paul, corner of Chatham and High Streets, Worcester to which the public is invited. The Liturgy will be streamed LIVE on the internet and a link is available on the homepage of worcesterdiocese.org.

Partners in Charity has announced that as of the May 10 report it has raised 80% of goal or $4,010,385 of its $5million goal for this year. 13,182 donors have made pledges and gifts to date. CLICK HEADER FOR FULL RELEASE

May 3, 2016, WORCESTER, MA -- At all the weekend Masses on April 30 and May 1, Msgr. F. Stephen Pedone, pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel-St. Ann Parish announced that, due to safety concerns for people in the building and for those using Mulberry Street, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church would be closed immediately and alternative plans for possible use over the coming year would cease. Further, he announced that, due to the safety concerns raised by the structural engineers over the last few days, demolition of the building would be necessary soon in order to assure safety on the public roadway in front of the building. CLICK TITLE for full release

Last Friday, I met with Commissioner John Kelley, Director of Inspectional Services for the City of Worcester, along with his Deputy, David Horne, George O’Neill, senior project manager with Gorman, Richardson, Lewis, architects, and Rev. Richard F. Reidy, Vicar General of the Diocese. This meeting was preceded by several other meetings with Mr. O’Neil and his associate, Neil Rouleau, Jeffrey Berthiaume, Chair of our parish Finance Committee and Mark Morrow, project manager from Consigli Construction. These meetings concerned the very serious disrepair of the front of our church building. Gorman, Richardson, Lewis have informed us and the city that they cannot certify the structural integrity of our building and recommend that the building be taken down. If a catastrophic failure of the front wall occurred, there is a real and significant danger to those in the church, and to those walking or traveling by the church on Mulberry Street and Interstate 290. CLICK HEADLINE FOR COMPLETE ANNOUNCEMENT

“This is a sad day for the parishioners of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel-St. Ann and our hearts go out to them for the pain of this loss they are facing today,” said Most Rev. Robert J. McManus, Bishop of Worcester. “However, the safety of those attending Mass and in the vicinity of the church building are of primary concern. I thank Msgr. Pedone, his committee members and all the parishioners who have been trying over recent years to find a solution to the building’s structural issues while seeking to build a more vibrant parish community. My prayers are with them as they must focus now on a transition plan to make this parish merger welcoming for both parish communities.”