ADAMS, Mass. — What began as concerns over peeling paint inside Notre Dame Church turned out to be a much larger issue, as the church is now closed indefinitely after inspections revealed structural damage, particularly in the steeple.

 

Notre Dame des Sept Douleurs Catholic Church, located at 21 Maple St., has been taped off and closed since last week as the Diocese of Springfield assesses water damage affecting several areas of the building.

 

"There are multiple issues ... but the long and short of it is that there's been a water breach in a number of locations at the church, [compromising] some of the structures. The steeple clearly has been negatively impacted by this water breach, and so they're looking at the steeple as one potential major issue," said Mark Dupont, Diocese of Springfield's director of communications.

 

"A lot of the other ones are not to that level, but taken as a whole, they might be problematic in the long run. This church is well over 100 years old and has served that community with great distinction over the years, but unfortunately, sometimes our past history with these churches is that they quickly become very costly when they start having issues." 

 

The church was built around 1882 to serve the area's French-speaking residents and is one of the three churches part of the Saint John Paul II Parish, which also includes St. Mary's in Cheshire and St. Stanislaus in Adams, Dupont said. 

 

Parish staff first noticed peeling paint inside the Notre Dame church, which can be an indication of water intrusion, and hired a structural mason to inspect the steeple and possibly do some repairs, he said. 

 

However, the inspection revealed more extensive damage to the steeple than initially anticipated, prompting parish staff to immediately contact the Diocese of Springfield and close the church, Dupont said.