Friends of St Mary the Morning Star Ad Hoc Committee was formed in September, 2014 when it became known the church could be torn down. Ten people who had either been former parishioners or had an association with St Mary's came forward to form an Ad Hoc committee. They had fond memories of what was known as "The Workingman's Church." St Mary's is located on Tyler Street in the Morningside district
of Pittsfield where GE, a major employer in the Pittsfield area was located and the majority of Berkshire County people worked. The demolition depended on the purchase of the church campus from the Diocese of Springfield to a commercial enterprise who had submitted an offer. Almost immediately a web site, Save St Mary's Church, appeared as a page headed by Darcie Sosa, a concerned preservationist of historical buildings and defender of all things that contribute to the beauty of the Berkshires. Overnight, 1,500 signatures protesting the demolition of this beautiful example of Romanesque architecture appeared on the web page causing a strong reaction to its demolition. The commercial enterprise withdrew its proposed plans to the Pittsfield City Council for necessary permits and stated that they would come back with a future proposal. This committee is dedicated to supporting a beautiful re-purposing of St Mary's the Morningstar Church. The committee's hope is to provide information and assistance to all interested parties who would like to take a role in finding a suitable re-purpose for the church. We envision working with potential developers, the Diocese of Springfield, The Mayor and City officials, the Morningside Initiative, Tyler Street Business Group, Pittsfield Historical Commission and all in the community who love St Mary's and wish to see it thrive and find new life with an effective re-purposing plan.
