Parishioners hoping to save Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church from the wrecking ball are praying for a miracle this Easter season. Opponents of the planned demolition of the historic Italian Catholic church held a prayer vigil Thursday in front of the shuttered landmark. About 20 longtime members of the parish said the rosary in front of the chain-link fence barricading the front of the church on Mulberry Street, steps from Interstate 290.

“You gotta believe,” said Anna Gentile, 80, of Worcester, rosary beads in hand. “You’ve got to have faith. With God, everything’s possible, correct?” Easter lilies could be seen on the steps where they had been placed by the front door, chained shut. A sculpted bas-relief of Our Lady of Mount Carmel that once graced the pediment of the church lay on the pavement in the parking lot. This will be the first Easter since the church was closed last May.