Nation IN BRIEF : MASSACHUSETTS : Yearlong Sit-In Ends at Catholic Church

Parishioners who staged a yearlong sit-in to fight the closure of a Roman Catholic church in Worcester, Mass., left the building peacefully after a judge threatened them with jail. About 40 people walked hand-in-hand from St. Joseph’s Church, escorted by police. Some of the protesters sang “Glory, Glory, Hallelujah,” and a few wept. Others wore purple ribbons, the liturgical color of mourning. The parishioners then carried a 12-foot cross, with a crown of thorns, to the offices of Worcester Bishop Timothy Harrington. He had ordered the decaying church closed last year, saying it was too expensive to renovate.