July 15, 2018

New Our Lady of Mt. Carmel parish center dedicated in Springfield

REGIONAL
Story and photos by Kathleen Harrington

Springfield Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski prepares to bless the new Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish Center in Springfield on July 15. 

SPRINGFIELD- Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Springfield celebrated its namesake feast day on Sunday with the long-awaited dedication of a new parish center building. Springfield Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving before the blessing of the parish center.

“We give thanks to God that the beautiful building gives us the opportunity to give witness of him to the world,” he said during his homily.

Following the Mass, parishioners lined the sidewalk for a short procession from the church to the new parish center next door. Lead by century old statue of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, the procession entered the parking lot. Then, during a short ceremony outside the parish center, Bishop Rozanski blessed the building with holy water.

The bishop headed inside and blessed each room. On hand to witness the dedication was a delegation from Bracigliano, located in the province of Salerno in Italy, which traveled to Springfield for the festivities.

According to Stigmatine Father Robert White, pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, the construction project brought parishioners together and renewed commitment to the Italian history in the south end of Springfield.

Construction on the new parish center began in 2016, but according to Father White, the project actually was in the works for nearly four years. “We had to purchase adjoining property, demolish the buildings, and raise the money for construction,” he explained.

At a cost of $2.2 million, the building pays tribute to the rich Italian heritage of the parish community, celebrates the present, and is an investment in the future.

“The great room has retractable walls,” said Michelle Temple Forna, religious education coordinator for Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish. “We will divide the space for religious education classes for the younger students.”

Look for a video version of this story on an upcoming edition of the Springfield Diocese’s weekly magazine, “Real to Reel,” which airs Saturday evenings at 7 p.m. on WWLP-TV22 NEWS and Sunday mornings at 5:30am on Albany’s Fox23 WXXA.