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High School Football
Hoosac Valley beats Drury in Saturday action. More photos on Monday |
 | Thursday, Nov. 06
Boys' Soccer: State Vocational Championship Game
McCann Tech 3, Keefe Tech 2
Girls' Soccer: State Vocational Championship Game
Blackstone Valley 8, McCann Tech 0 |
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Milla Jovovich vs. alien abduction in "The Fourth Kind." What more do you need to know?
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Daily Digest
This is Jake
He's been lost in Pittsfield for weeks but frequently sited. He was last seen heading toward the fire station on Peck's Road. He's tired, dirty and needs seizure medication. He's chipped. If you see him, call Julie at 413-537-5616, the vet 24/7 at 413-499-2820 or animal control at 413-448-9700. |
Election
Trying to remember who won what and why? All the information is right here. |
ObituariesSales FliersBazaarsNov. 14
Berkshire Community Church, Richmond
10-4; Crafters, bake sale. Contact Evelyn Goggia at 413-445-5747
Lanesborough Elementary School annual Fall Craft Fair from 10 to 4. Free admission, huge variety of arts and crafts, raffles, food and more. Proceeds go to sixth-grade trip to Cape Cod.
Vendors can contact Deb at 413-738-5349 or debhutton@aol.com or Lori at 413-499-0065 or lorittod@yahoo.com to secure a spot.
Dec. 12-13
North Adams Country Club, crafts 9-4; food from That's a Wrap from 11-2. Contact Sheryl Morehouse at 413-822-3329.
Planning a bazaar this season? Submit information to info@iberkshires.com to have it listed here. |
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Parishioners Set Vigil to Save St. Stan'sBy Tammy Daniels
iBerkshires Staff
12:12AM / Saturday, December 27, 2008
ADAMS, Mass. — A group formed to advocate for St. Stanislaus' Church are mounting a vigil in hopes of reversing a diocesan decision to close the 103-year-old structure.
The parish was shocked to learn in August that the church would among the closures in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield's 10 regions. Appeals have been made to the Vatican but the parish's last Mass will be held on Sunday afternoon at 3 as it and Notre Dame-St. Thomas are folded into a new parish based at Notre Dame Church.
While St. Thomas' Church closed quietly last Sunday, the Friends of St. Stan's have launched a peaceful vigil on Friday morning to keep its doors from being locked and the church's impressive interior from being ripped away.
"Why do they want to destroy our church?" lamented Loretta Ryz-Vinette, 78, one of 50 or so church members clustered on its steps Friday afternoon. "My father came from Poland in 1890. ... He helped build this beautiful church so we could have something to pass onto our generations."
It's the loss of Polish traditions that go with St. Stan's which many feel will be as a great a blow as the losing the building itself, said Francis Hajdas, head of the Vigil Committee.
Daily rosary services in spring and fall, visiting priests, Stations of the Cross on Friday and weekly lamentations have been hallmarks of the Polish church, said Hajdas, traditions that are already disappearing since the parish was yoked with the Parish of Notre Dame-St. Thomas. "Tbe purpose of our peaceful vigil is to protect our rich heritage by preventing the closing of our parish."
St. Stan's has disputed the diocese's reasoning for consolidating the town's two parishes in one church and members have prepared several reports on finances and attendance to press its case.
The diocese stands by its decisions, made after years of planning, said diocesan spokesman Mark E. Dupont in an e-mailed statement.
"Bishop Timothy McDonnell was saddened today to learn of the intentions of some members of the St. Stanislaus parish community in Adams to begin staging a sit-in at the church," he said. "We can all understand how tremendously disappointed they are about the impending closure of their beloved parish and church. However, there is no justification within the context of our Christian faith, most especially during this Christmas season, for this action and their disruption just yesterday of the sacred celebration of Christmas Mass. We should never put a building ahead of our reverence for God present in a special way during our Eucharistic celebrations."
(There was apparently some give and take between communicants and the Rev. Daniel Boyle at midnight Mass on Christmas Eve according to a number of Internet postings.)
Hajdas stressed that the vigil would be peaceful and "in keeping with the Catholic tradition of sanctuary in places of worship to protest injustice."
He said some three dozen members had indicated they would join the vigil.
The tactic has been used in five churches in Boston, where the first major closings began after the church sex-abuse scandal broke some eight years ago. Two more churches in New Orleans have also mounted vigils in a bid to keep their churches open, said Peter Borre, co-chairman of the Council of Parishes, a Boston-area grassroots organization formed to fight closures.
Borre, who was at Friday's announcement, has been advising the Friends of St. Stan's. He said there had been rumors of a private security force being hired by the diocese to clear the church after Sunday's last Mass. The bishop should act as honorably as his brothers have, he said. "The Catholics should be treated with dignity."
Several parishioners said their voices hadn't been heard by the diocese and that it should have been more open about the closings and renaming of parishes. (The new Adams parish is to be named for Pope John Paul II.)
"This whole thing would have been averted if it had been a democratic process," said Joan Bejgrowicz.
For friends Kyle Pero and Adam Gwozdz, the church's closure means losing an important element of their heritage and potentially endangering their alma mater, St. Stanislaus School, one of the few parochial schools left in the county.
"It's a tragedy that nobody consulted the people," said Pero, a student at the College of St. Rose in Albany, N.Y. "Isn't the Church of God the people, not the heirarchy?"
His grandmother, Bernice Trczinski, sporting a red "Save St. Stan's" ribbon, had married into the church.
"I married three daughters and buried my husband in this church so I'm really connected with it," she said, her voice breaking with emotion. "It feels like a member of my family died."
But the fight for St. Stan's is causing divisions within the Adams Catholic community; after all, one of the justifications for keeping St. Stan's open would be to close another church instead. It's also apparently causing sharp words between the churches.
"What we're doing to other people over this is wrong and what we're doing to Father Dan is wrong," said Tammy Scalise, who sent four children through the parish school and has a son buried in its cemetery. "There's nothing wrong with peaceful protest but not during Mass. We are called to be inside — being outside is disrespectful."
As much as she loves her church, it's the people not the building that's most important, she said. "This is consigned to dust. ... the most beautiful artwork is not the artwork in the sanctuary, the most beautiful artwork is the artwork of the human soul."
The separate parishes of North Adams will also officially close this weekend and the newly formed Parish of St. Elizabeth of Hungary opened. St. Francis' Church and Our Lady of Mercy will be closed and the new parish be moved to St. Anthony's. "The Bishop continues to remember in prayer all those impacted by these closings and will be joining with many of these communities in the coming days,” said Dupont. |
| Heretics! All of you! It's not about your Catholicism, it's a social club! | | from: Unmoved | on: 01-11-2009 |
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Take heart, friends of St. Stan's. Those who attack you know not what they do. They have probably NEVER been part of a truly loving parish, and so to them, "the church is just a building". We know better, no? You are in our prayers(and actually, so are they).
Tonight, in my suppressed parish, armed New Orleans police officers take the place of those of us who prayed. We need to stop this wholesale takeover of our Catholic churches by the almighty hierarchy. | | from: laresistance | on: 01-09-2009 |
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On to a joy-filled new year I see. Tell me about yourself first. Rather, let me guess who you are. Are you one of very few people who now speak in anger and hate? Give me more clues. If so, where does this anger and hate come from? I like votes! I see, now everything is a democracy. Are you trying to create peace or hostility within our community? Give me more clues. Are you building up the Body of Christ or tearing it down? What is your acts of peace during this dark time in our community? If you want to know who I am go to the Tyringham Visitation convent tonite at 7 pm, I will be there and we can talk further. Come to Mass this weekend, I will also be there. Here is a clue - Go Gators! Yeh Tim Tebow who wears Phil 4:13 on under his eyes for his games. Big game vs Oklahoma Jan 8th! This is fun!!
| | from: tacklegirltooold | on: 01-02-2009 |
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| To - tacklegirltooold You sound like our local mole. We took a vote and named you Tammy. Are we right? | | from: Daily Reader | on: 01-02-2009 |
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| If the people of St. Stans truly believe that they have a cause to fight for then they need to realize that the greater that we conform to Jesus is just how much we will be effective. The first dissenter was lucifer. This is why there is no good in dissent. Never in Church history are we given an example of the saint that was canonized for going against the Church. No, the long procedure of canonizations requires that the person ramained in obedience - even unto death. The church (lower c) has throughout history been in need of renewal and reform. This is due to the human side that in its imperfections does err. The Divine side has never been deformed, due to the Founder Himself -Jesus. He foretold that there would always be sacandals within, He also promised that He would never foresake the Church. He is so closely united to the Church, for it is His Body. This is why we must remain united. He also stated "the gates of hell shall not prevail". We must then look at the churches true reformers. They give no example of disobedience even when the church was wrong, ie Joan of Arc that was martyred by the very same church that later turned around and named her a saint. Our Faith is indeed our Treasure. Do not give up on it, for it has been hard earned by the blood of its Founder and endless martyrs. Do not be led astray by erroneous arguments. Our Mass is not based on the holiness of the priest, this is through the mercy of God. It is based on the holiness of the High Eternal Priest. Combat error with Truth. Truth is eternal, it does not change, it cannot. This Truth is not a something but a somebody. This Truth is not amont our petty arguments, He is above them. Remember, social injustice is a great evil, no doubt, but there is a far greater evil - that of not seeking God. Let us build up our priests. They have a conversion story too. This community can only heal through Jesus Himself. Let us all participate in working toward this. Remember, it is you that is representing what the martyrs died for. They always remained in peace and never disobedience. I have referred many to read on the writing of St. Francis. He had written "woe to those that speak badly of their priests". Francis knew that it was the hands of the priest that literally bring us our God. Read his Rule and beautiful writings for yourself. Know what a woe is, it is a powerful word. Stay in prayer and holy reading. Do not lose your Faith. Go to Mass where it is available. May God heal whatever ills our souls. EVERYTHING you do, do it for the Greater Glory of God and for souls (Bl. Mother Teresa). | | from: tacklegirltooold | on: 01-02-2009 |
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| OK, you're not "Polish Catholics", you're "vigil"antes! | | from: Unmoved | on: 01-01-2009 |
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To Unmoved, regarding your 12-30-2008 comments: Your comments resound of an individual with quite a dislike for Polish people. I’d first like to say that if anyone wishes to be known as a “Polish Catholic” as you refer to them, I applaud them. It’s no different than those individuals who call themselves African Americans – these are adjectives added from a sense of pride in their heritage. I understand your perception is your reality, Unmoved, but your bitterness for Polish people is a bit unnerving. We’re not living in the Dark Ages or in a Middle Eastern country where ethnicity or races are an issue.
I was a bit astonished to read your slant on the Polish establishing businesses on Summer Street – making that sound like a bad thing. I believe they should be praised for doing so – stop to think of how they added to the economy of Adams by paying real estate taxes and employing people rather than having them on the town’s welfare rolls. Polish people also went to work in Adams’ cotton and paper mills adding to the prosperity of the town during that time. Talk about “integrating” and adding to the vitality of Adams!! They’ve long been doing so.
And, by the way, let’s not forget the naming of Victory Street (just off Summer Street) and what that represents…..as well as the fact that over two dozen men from St. Stanislaus Church (“Polish Catholics” as Unmoved would call them) sacrificed their lives in World War II so that all Americans could retain their individual freedoms.
Also, if you would look at the membership rolls of St. Stan’s, you’d realize it hasn’t been a “Polish” church in a while. It has had a diverse congregation because people saw and wanted to join a community that had strong values, traditions, and sense of community. Numerous Polish religious traditions continue simply because all sorts of people consider them beautiful traditions.
And as for your reference to a mandate for “obedience to a church hierarchy” – all I can say is: if only that obedience had been questioned in the past. It would have saved the church and its priests so much shame for the abuse of power that occurred.
| | from: One of Adams' Children | on: 12-31-2008 |
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| You people who stand outside the closing mass, yell and scream and refuse to join your Bishop at mass are not passionate, your nuts! You don't understand the economic situation and you don't understand the Catholic church that you say you are a part of. Once again, the Catholic church is a hierarchy, not a democracy! If you don't want to follow the decisions from the Diocese or the Vatican then why don't you break off, start your own local church and become Anglicans. Then you won't have to abide by the Diocese decisions. You are bad Roman Catholics and an embarrassment to "good" catholics. The longer you carry on these protests, sit ins etc., the worse you look! | | from: Unmoved | on: 12-31-2008 |
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| To Unmoved: Obviously you have never cared about something passionately. Those of us who belong to the parish feel that the whole process was flawed. We are not whining. We believe in our cause. Our church is the only one that was in the black - check out the numbers. Why close a viable church? We are proud, and yes some of us are Polish, and we would like to see our church remain open. | | from: St Stans Supporter | on: 12-31-2008 |
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| The Polish community in Adams has always been one that wants to stay "separate". For many years it was a well known fact that Polish people only supported Polish owned business in town, i.e the growth of Summer Street as an alternative business district. Well, those days are over! "Your" church is closing and you will just have to integrate, pray and become "Catholics" instead of "Polish Catholics". The building belongs to the Diocese, not the Polish community. You can still do all the things you did at St. Stan's in the new church with the rest of the community. The Catholic religion mandates obedience to a church hierarchy and you all knew this all along. Stop behaving like spoiled children and carry on!! | | from: Unmoved | on: 12-30-2008 |
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| You're right, "unmoved." "It's not about a building!" It is about a house of worship. It is a home built with love and maintained with love. Consider how you would feel having built your own home, meticulously maintaining it throughout your life, furnishing it with beautiful antiques and artwork, a custom kitchen, and a 52-inch HDTV (for starters). Over the years, you and your family celebrate many milestones in your home and then the Selectmen say you can't live their any longer. What would your reaction be? Would you just say okay, leave it all, and just move on? | | from: Response to Unmoved | on: 12-29-2008 |
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Let me help you understand, "Unmoved" of 12/29/08 posting. St. Stan's is a church built by the Polish over a hundred years ago, at a time when their homeland was again being divided among many nations. The Polish came to Adams and erected a church they could count on being their for their families, generation after generation.
Through the years, St. Stan parishioners continue to give of their time, their love, and yes their money in order to maintain a home of worship of which they can be proud. More importantly, however, they give their all to St. Stan's so that they, and all welcomed visitors, will have a gathering place in which to pray and practice their religion.
St. Stan parishioners live their religion. They give unconditionally and find peace and comfort in their faith. It is rare to find 80 and 90 year olds still making pierogi during 8-hour shifts all weekend so that their bazaar can raise money for their schoo. It is also rare to find parishioners who will immediately come up with additional cash to make capital improvements/repairs as soon as called upon to do so. It is also rare to have a congregation donate sentimental pieces of their own jewelry so that the gemstones can be used to complete a piece of artwork brought to the church from Poland (Our Lady of Czestochowa which is on the left front wall of the church). Those are only a few examples of what makes St. Stan parishioners different than most others. That devotion to church (yes, building) and religion is what sets them apart - and, yes, ... they have a right to fight for keeping St. Stan's open. | | from: Informant | on: 12-29-2008 |
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| We've seen the financial statements for the "yoked" Roman Catholic churches in Adams and we've seen the projections (adamscatholics.org). We believe the projected numbers are highly optimistic considering the inevitable decrease in membership, as well as a decrease in the amount of contributions. The costs associated with running PJP as the sole Roman Catholic church will undoubtedly cause it to go into bankruptcy within the next 5-7 years. Where will we then go to Mass? Where will our children be able to receive a catholic grammar school education? From an economic standpoint at least, please let St. Stan's continue as it is the only one viable church. | | from: No Church at All | on: 12-29-2008 |
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| The parishioners of St. Stan's are like whining spoiled children! No one cried and stood vigil for the closing of St. Thomas. Those parishioners were good catholics who understood the economic plight of the catholic church. St. Stan's is no better than the other two catholic churches in Adams, and the fact that it has been chosen to be one of the ones to close is too bad! Shut up, say your prayers and carry on. The threat to leave the church only shows us what bad catholics some of you are! It's not about a building!! | | from: Unmoved | on: 12-29-2008 |
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so the people of St Stans are expected to walk quietly away because the diocese told them to?
NO- I think it is great that they are the only ones brave enought to stand up and fight. You should all fight for what is wrong and learn to question authority. They do not always have your best interests are heart | | from: kathy | on: 12-28-2008 |
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| You don't need a Church in order to pray or meditate ... you begin the process from your heart & soul. | | from: Guy Hawkes | on: 12-28-2008 |
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| When will people stop being dooped from Fr. Boyle. Not sure what's worse. A petafile henceman or a lying priest. He made the choice to close St. Stans and he made the deal to keep the masion on the hill. One can't drive a mercedzes without having a masion to go with it. His big mouth to friends saying he will close the church over two years ago and then saying he was shocked to hear about it tends to make me sick. I encourge the demise of Notre Dame and to Fr. Boyle. We prefer no priests at all then a lying one. Wake up people, I was told many years ago listen to the one with loudous voice(singing) and he is the one crooked. His outburst on Midnight Mass only reminds us of the nights of his drunken stupers where he can't even drive home himself. I always wondered why no visiting priests are allowed to stay in his mansion. | | from: Concerned writer | on: 12-28-2008 |
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Dear Former Adams Resident,
I think that Fr. Boyle's comments although inflammatory and totally unacceptable are not keystone to this situation. It is Diocesan greed and power. Trying to destroy the parish of St. Stan's is a crime. The Lord would be ashamed of his Church. | | from: Casual Observer | on: 12-27-2008 |
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| If it was not for Father Dan this whole thing would have not happened. He is the main cause behind all of this. Even though he said he's not. He wants to stay in his million dollar home and not have to move into a average home as he calls it. How can a Catholic Priest lie. The bottom line is, it's for legal fee. We all know what they are, and the poor people of Adams have to pay for their mistakes. | | from: Fomrer Adams resident | on: 12-27-2008 |
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| The article could not have expressed the senitments of the parishoners of Adams any better. This is a terrible loss for the community of Adams. The love of Christ begins in the small parish or school in which you attend. Here people gather in the name of Christ and form an inseperable bond with each other and the place. In the case of Adams both the place (the church) and the people (the parish) are being destroyed by the Bishop who is charged with making Christian desicions. The Bishop is in error. His disregard for the people is astounding. When Jesus walked this Earth he challenged the Pharisees the modern day equilvalent of the Catholic hierarchy. He asked the people to follow a new way. Well the new way is alive an well in Adams. Follow Jesus and fight the Bishops desicion. | | from: Casual Oberver | on: 12-27-2008 |
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