The Springfield Catholic Diocese announced this week that Saint Mark School in Pittsfield will close after school lets out for the summer. But that’s not the only downsizing the diocese has done in recent years. Over 60 western Massachusetts parishes have shut down since 2000, as church attendance declined.

Monsignor John Bonzagni is the director of pastoral planning for the diocese. Last week, a Vatican court ruled the diocese can de-consecrate and sell two churches in the region – one in Holyoke, another in Northampton. Bonzagni estimates about a dozen vacated church buildings remain unsold in the region. I asked him what happens to a church once it’s empty.

To hear my conversation with Monsignor John Bonzagni, click on the audio player above.