SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, Pa. -- This Christmas season will be the last for a church in Schuylkill County.
Parishioners of a church in Schuylkill County will need to find a new place to worship. The Diocese of Allentown has announced St. Stephen's in Port Carbon is closing for good.
St. Stephen's in Port Carbon will close its doors on January 12, according to the Diocese of Allentown. The parish will merge with St. Clare of Assisi in St. Clair.
People who live near that parish tell us a number of other churches have merged into the church in recent years, and it makes for crowded weekends in the neighborhood.
St. Stephen's parish in Port Carbon was built in 1847, but this year will be the last time parishioners will celebrate the birth of Jesus there. The diocese has decided to close the church on January 12, citing years of financial turmoil and declining attendance as the reasons.
"My kids went to the school, all three of them, and I went to church here because it was convenient, but I stopped going since the priest scandal and the molestation scandal," John Barzensky said.
St. Stephen's will merge with St. Clare of Assisi parish in St. Clair, a church that already has big crowds on weekends.
Saturday service is crowded, and Sunday service is crowded. I see them coming and going, and it's a lot of people go to church there," Helen Frantz said. "And then they bought the old school and tore that down, too, and usually both are filled."
Neighbors say this isn't the first time a parish has closed and merged in the St. Clare of Assisi building.
Diocesan officials have vowed to remove and preserve sacred images, altars, and other artifacts from inside the church. They'll be given to St. Clare of Assisi parish or other churches in need. The diocese has not announced future plans for the St. Stephen's building
"When they close on January 12, I believe it is, I hope they turn the bells off," Barzensky said.
Parishioners at both St. Stephen's and St. Clare of Assisi parish were informed of the upcoming changes at services over the weekend.