November 18, 2024

Former St. Francis Chapel in downtown Springfield sold to adult daycare company

REGIONAL
Staff Report

File photo

SPRINGFIELD – The former downtown Springfield Catholic spiritual center, St. Francis Chapel, has been sold to a local business interest that runs adult daycare centers in western Massachusetts according to diocesan officials.

On October 31 the Diocese of Springfield closed on a $300,000 sale to Hammond Business Center LLC.  Hammond operates Vcare Adult Daycare Services which currently operates facilities in Holyoke and Chicopee. 

St. Francis Chapel built in 1959, when downtown Springfield was an active shopping and business hub, provided daily liturgies and spiritual counseling to countless people.  It also hosted the popular First Friday Breakfasts which was relocated to St. Michael’s Cathedral.

The chapel was originally staffed by the Capuchin Franciscan Order priests until 2000, when the order withdrew citing a decrease in vocations to the order.

In 2006, Bishop Timothy McDonnell reopened the chapel with assistance from the Redemptorist Order which provided two Spanish speaking priests.  It also served for a few years as the main offices of Catholic Charities.

The Redemptorist Order end its arrangement to staff the chapel and for the final years of its active operations diocesan priests took turns celebrating a daily Mass and providing spiritual outreach.

But in May of 2020, citing a decline in Mass attendance and financial concerns, the diocese closed the chapel for good, placing it on the market for sale with its real estate broker, Colebrook and Associates.

Industry experts believe the adult daycare business will grow rapidly in the coming years, some predicting that growth in the 700% range.  The reasons cited include many families are seeking assistance for elderly family members somewhere in the middle of the two current options, either long-term nursing home care or leaving elders at home with limited in-home services.

Work is already underway at the Bridge Street building.

(information on adult daycare trends cited from https://seniorsbluebook.com)