Catholic officials say a church near Philadelphia will no longer serve as a worship site nearly three years after merging with a nearby parish.
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque parish in Essington in Delaware County merged in July 2014 with Saint Gabriel Parish in Norwood.
At that time, it became a worship site of the new parish and was available for occasional celebrations of Mass as well as funerals and weddings.
The archdiocese of Philadelphia announced Sunday that as of June 12 Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque will no longer serve as a worship site and will close as a Roman Catholic church.
The archdiocese said maintenance costs would hurt the financial stability of the Saint Gabriel parish, which allocated more than $25,000 toward such expenses in the past fiscal year.
