BOSTON (AP) – Archbishop Sean O’Malley has decided to allow priests to say Easter Mass at two churches closed by the Boston Archdiocese where parishioners have been staging around-the-clock vigils for months.

O’Malley agreed to allow Easter Masses at St. Anselm in Sudbury and St. Albert in Weymouth, the two largest groups occupying closed churches.

In each case, he chose a previous pastor to celebrate the Mass. In Weymouth, he chose the Rev. Laurence Borges, and in Sudbury, he chose the Rev. John Sassani.

“The archbishop recognized that there was a pastoral need among these two communities who strongly desire to be able to celebrate the Easter liturgy together,” O’Malley’s spokeswoman, Ann Carter, told The Boston Globe.

Parishioners at the closed churches were delighted by the decision.

“To have Easter Sunday Mass was just something we were hoping and praying for, and our prayers were answered,” Mary Akoury, co-chairwoman of the pastoral council at St. Albert, told The Patriot Ledger of Quincy.

Catholics occupying one other closed church, Infant Jesus-St. Lawrence Church in Brookline, will have an Easter Mass celebrated by a Jesuit priest. No Mass is expected at four other occupied closed churches in East Boston, Everett, Scituate, and Wellesley.

O’Malley’s decision to assign priests to the parishes comes as the archdiocese prepares to restart the controversial parish-closing process after Easter. In the coming weeks, O’Malley is expected to announce whether he will reverse any of his decisions to close certain parishes.

The archdiocese is closing about 80 of its 357 parishes in a consolidation brought on by financial struggles and declining numbers of priests. It has closed 59 to date.