October 4, 2020

Three parishes form the Catholic Collaborative of Holyoke

REGIONAL
Story and photos by Carolee McGrath

Deacon Jose Correa and Fathers Mark Stelzer and Yerick Mendez process up the aisle at morning Mass at St. Jerome Parish Sunday, Oct. 4.

HOLYOKE – After months of planning and praying, members of three Holyoke parishes formed the Catholic Collaborative of Holyoke the weekend of Oct. 3-4. The new collaborative brings together Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Jerome parishes. The announcement was made by Fathers Mark Stelzer and Yerick Mendez at weekend Masses in early September.

“This enables us to share worship spaces and resources while still maintaining our independence as three parishes as we await whatever decision our new bishop may make concerning the canonical status of the parishes,” said Father Mark Stelzer, administrator of St. Jerome Parish located on Hampden Street in Holyoke.

Father Mendez, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Immaculate Conception parishes, joined Father Stelzer to celebrate the Masses at St. Jerome’s church, Sunday morning, Oct. 4.

New Mass times have also been announced with the creation of the collaborative and will result in all liturgies being celebrated at St. Jerome and Immaculate Conception churches.  

In March 2017, after falling plaster resulted in the closing of Sacred Heart Church, the worship space for Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Masses there were moved into the chapel and parish gym. These Masses will now be consolidated into the other worship sites. The former Sacred Heart Church building had been the worship space of Our Lady of Guadalupe since 1999 after Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church burned down.

“We realize with another winter season, we would like the people of Our Lady of Guadalupe to find a home and no longer celebrate Mass in a cold gym. It’s sort of a movement that came from the people themselves with the blessing of (then) Bishop Rozanski,” Father Stelzer continued.

St. Jerome Parish is the oldest Catholic parish in Holyoke, opening in 1854. Sacred Heart Parish on Maple Street was originally founded as a mission church of St. Jerome’s in 1876.

“As more and more immigrants came to Holyoke in the 1800s, the parish became so large that the determination was made that part of the group would become a new church, a mission church of St. Jerome’s. That was the beginning of Sacred Heart Parish in Holyoke,” said Mary Ellen O’Connor, chair of the parish council at St. Jerome Parish.

At the beginning of all Sunday morning Masses, the congregation welcomed a statue from Sacred Heart Church and a banner of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

“There’s been so many changes this year. It’s been difficult for so many people, but at Our Lady of Guadalupe and Immaculate Conception, we’ve been looking forward to being together at St. Jerome’s and I think it’s actually a positive for our community,” said Deacon Jose Correa of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish. “We’re all united in Christ. We’re all one family.”

Although the parishes will share worship space, they will remain as separate parish entities. Father Mendez will continue to serve as pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Immaculate Conception parishes, and Father Stelzer will continue to serve as administrator of St. Jerome Parish. The parishes will remain financially autonomous.

“We have a great blessing here today, to build a community of faith, not only for ourselves but for your children and their children who by God’s grace will sit in these pews,” Father Stelzer told the congregation during his homily. “We have been given a unique gift of building a new and strong Catholic community in the city of Holyoke.”

The new Mass schedule is as follows:

Immaculate Conception Church – Saturday 6 p.m. (Spanish) Sunday 8 a.m. (English) 10:30 a.m. (Spanish) Mon-Thurs 8:30 a.m. (English) Friday 7 p.m. (Spanish)
First Friday of the Month: 8:30 a.m. (English).

St. Jerome Church –  Saturday 4 p.m. (English) Sunday 8 a.m. (English) Sunday 9:30 a.m. (English) 11:45 a.m. (Spanish)
Mon-Friday 12:15 p.m. (English).