DETROIT (WXYZ) — A Catholic church that has served Detroit's community since the 1940s will hold its final mass this Sunday, marking the end of an era for the historic parish.
Watch Tiarra Braddock's video report:
St. Christopher Church, which was renamed Saint Juan Diego Parish in 2019, will celebrate its last service on January 11 at noon.
Church officials cite low attendance and financial challenges as the primary reasons for the closure.
"We have two masses there.... we're down to sometimes less than 20, 15 people," said Father Noel Emmanuel Cornelio, the pastor at St. Christopher/St. Juan Diego Parish.
For Detroit resident Hershel Castleberry, who lives near the church, the closure brings deep sadness.
"That hurts, that hurts, man, I got a lot of fun memories of this church," Castleberry said.
Castleberry says the church has been a staple in the community.
"I was here when it first started, the pastor was living in the house next door to it, and that's the way the Catholic Churches used to be," he said.
Despite being Baptist, Castleberry found community at St. Christopher.
"Me being a Baptist Christian going over there when I couldn't get to my church and going over there, fellowshipping with them and reading the book… and they get out quick," he said.
The fate of the church building remains unclear once it officially closes. Parishioners are being encouraged to attend services at nearby St. Thomas Aquinas on Evergreen Road.
Father Cornelio offered a message of hope despite the closure.
"The building will be closed and silent, but the gospel goes on," he said.
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