A Reincarnation
The pastor of this North End church is gone, but its heartbroken yet resourceful parishioners are already envisioning its second life.
When the Rev. Vincenzo Rosato sang a hymn to the Madonna at one of the last Italian-language Masses celebrated in the North End's Sacred Heart Church, the priest's voice soared like a fourth tenor. If you closed your eyes and listened to his delivery of "Dell'aurora Tu Sorgi Piu Bella," you could imagine all roads leading to Rome and even zesty meatballs, a robust Chianti in a straw basket, and La Dolce Vita flickering on a screen.
Sacred Heart, the Catholic Church that sits across from the Paul Revere House on North Square, shut down on September 1 as an official parish of the Archdiocese of Boston. But its fierce supporters envision a high-end by-pass to repair the damaged heart. They want to turn their church into a lucrative landmark redolent of the spice of Italy and the spirit of holiness.
Unlike 72 other church buildings marked for closure by the archdiocese, Sacred Heart got a reprieve as a "worship space." Church doors continue to stay open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., but Rosato was sent packing to a church in Providence. The all-Italian Masses have been eliminated, although English Mass continues to be celebrated weeknights at 7 and on Sundays at 10 a.m. by priests borrowed from St. Leonard of Port Maurice, the parish on Hanover Street that now supervises Sacred Heart.
The bilingual Rosato celebrated his last English Mass at Sacred Heart on August 29 in a sweltering service attended by more than 500 in the ornate upper sanctuary. The occasion was emotional for many longtime parishioners who had been baptized and married there, such as Katy Graffeo and Anna Guarino. "We're all heartsick," Graffeo said as she fanned herself with the Mass program. "It's a beautiful church," Guarino added. "This never should have happened."
At the service, Rosato made an appeal for money. The collection baskets bulged with cash and the proceeds have been deposited into an archdiocese account, but parishioners question if the money will actually go to the upkeep of Sacred Heart. This North End church has considerable assets, and the state attorney general's office will monitor the archdiocese's distribution of them. Those assets include real estate estimated to be worth $12 million -- including Sacred Heart Church, St. John's School next door, and the rectory -- and 14 bank accounts containing a total of $1.9 million.
Yet, for this church, there's a crucial third party. Since 1890, when the St. Mark's Italian Catholic Society entered into a trust agreement with the archdiocese, the group has controlled the destiny of Sacred Heart, originally founded as a church for Italian immigrants. With the demise of the parish, the society has stepped in.
The society fears the archdiocese, which has sold many North End properties to developers over the years, sees Sacred Heart as the golden goose. However, the trust agreement with St. Mark's -- and oversight by the attorney general -- renders any development scheme legally dicey right now.
"The [archdiocese] can't breach the trust and tear it down and build condominiums," says Bennett Molinari of the St. Mark's society.
Still, the society is not averse to exploiting the church's rich location and legacy (it was built in 1833 as a seamen's bethel) while helping the archdiocese make a little money. Hoping to restore a pastor and revitalize Sacred Heart, Molinari and his brother, Richard, have put together a business proposal to turn the rectory into a gift shop and to display valuable items -- such as vestments and sacramentals -- in a mini-museum. Tours of the church as well as Italian refreshments would be offered. "We would run the tourists through the chapel to the gift shop," says Bennett Molinari. The brothers look forward to presenting their plan to the archdiocese.
The entrepreneurial efforts of the St. Mark's society begin today with a yard sale and street fair in the park next to the church on North Square. Donated pizza and pastries will offer a taste of coming attractions in this chamber of a city's sacred heart.
Collins writes biweekly. E-mail her at mcollins@globe.com.
