St. Joseph's Church in Bloomfield could close in the near future
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh says another church might close in the near future.
Saint Joseph's Church in Bloomfield has been under renovation and hasn't celebrated mass in five months.
The church has been a fixture in the community for 150 years. When parishioners found out the doors may close for good, they were devastated.
"Taking the church out is taking the heart and soul out of the community," parishioner Dave Mence said.
Mence has been a parishioner at the church for over a decade. He compares bidding farewell to his home of worship to a death in the family.
"It's my life," he said. "It's my purity. Immigrants built this with their sweat, blood, sweat and dirt under their fingernails. This is who we are here."
Last year, it was decided that Immaculate Conception Church would close and the doors of St. Joseph's would remain open even though it needed more than $1 million worth of improvements.
The problem at Saint Joseph's arose when the Immaculate Conception congregation appealed Bishop David Zubik's decision, requiring the church to be maintained as if it was still open.
"The campus is costing the parish a significant amount of money each month, which is making the renovations that are over $1.6 million extremely difficult to do," Father Tom Gramc of St. Maria Goretti Parish said.
Other problems include low mass attendance, which is down 82% over 10 years and 65% in just the last five years, and the parish already operates on a significant deficit each year.
They toyed with taking a loan out, but Father Gramc said he couldn't do that to the parish in good faith.
Mence is scheduled to meet with the bishop next week. He says he's willing to fundraise and accept donations to keep the doors open.
St. Augustine Church in Lawrenceville has been celebrating mass for parishioners at St. Joseph's Church.