Feb 4, 2019 4 min read

Mary and Dave Saniga sat near the altar, in the fourth row of pews in St. Katharine Drexel Parish, awaiting the beginning of 11 a.m. Mass Sunday. They had been here hundreds of times, including their wedding day, when it was St. Luke Roman Catholic Church.

“I was baptized here,” Mary said. “We’ve been here for weddings, first Holy Communions, baptisms. Our daughter, Courtney, has received all of her sacraments here and plans to get married in our parish.”

Minutes before services were to start in the Bentleyville parish, the Cokeburg couple reflected on their experiences in a building that, following a merger in 1994, changed from St. Luke to Ave Maria Church, then after another merger two years ago, morphed into St. Katharine. They are devoted to their house of worship, but lament what has become a shrinking Catholic Church.

The latest example occurred Saturday evening, when the Diocese of Pittsburgh announced it was closing four of the six church buildings that make up St. Katharine Drexel Parish. Scheduled for closure March 4 are St. Joseph in Roscoe, St. Michael the Archangel in East Bethlehem Township, St. Thomas Aquinas in California and Saints Mary & Ann in Marianna.

St. Katharine – the former Ave Maria – and Saint Agnes in Centerville will remain open.

It was only in January 2017 that St. Katharine Drexel Parish was created as a merger of Ave Maria, St. Agnes, St. Joseph, St. Oliver Plunkett and St. Thomas Aquinas parishes.

The diocese said in a news release, “It was decided at the time of the (2017) merger that all six buildings would remain open, some for worship and others for occasional worship. However, because of the financial constraints faced by the parish, it became apparent that they could not afford to keep all the church buildings open.”

Diminishing finances and declining numbers of parishioners are threatening Catholic churches, forcing dioceses to shutter buildings. The Pittsburgh Diocese is doing that – again – in the sparsely populated southeastern corner of Washington County, a conundrum that is not lost on the Sanigas.

“It’s sad that it’s come to this,” Dave said. “Fewer people are going to church. It’s just changing times.”

Glancing toward the gathering congregation behind him, he said: “Even with the closures, there are fewer people here than there used to be.”

Although he and his wife are regulars at the Bentleyville parish, Mary is aware of public reaction to what is happening at local churches. “People are angry about the closures.”

Doc Bayer isn’t happy, but understands the dynamics. He was a member of Sts. Mary and Ann until the 2017 merger, when masses were eliminated there, but weddings and other events could be scheduled. He then became a St. Katharine parishioner.

“I guess you have to leave yourself open for change,” said Bayer, a West Bethlehem Township resident. “Unfortunately, financial aspects dictate a lot of things. What I’ve felt badly about is that a lot of older and handicapped people in Marianna were able to worship there, then could not. That was upsetting to me.”

St. Katharine’s administrator, the Rev. Edward Yuhas, addressed the diocese decision just before mass began. He read the text of a letter from Bishop David A. Zubik, explaining circumstances behind shuttering four of the parish’s buildings. This, the bishop said, included the formation of a task force last year that examined operations of these buildings.

Yuhas did not elaborate on the closings, but said he will celebrate the final masses at the four affected churches. He added that, “My continued prayers are with you. But with God’s help, we’ll continue to build up the gift of our faith, not just for now but for future generations.”

He closed by advising any parishioner who would like to speak with him that he has “an open door.”

The Sanigas weren’t the only people who departed St. Katharine a little upset Sunday. The shutdowns bother Lil Bizet-Ross, of Ellsworth, yet she understands them.

“It’s hard to accept the fact that your church is closing,” she said. “But you can’t go on with many churches that are old and in need of major repairs that are costly.”

Alana King of Bentleyville is enamored of St. Katharine, which she calls “an iconic place, a wonderful place.” She also asked a question that may be on the minds of many Catholics.

“My family has belonged to this church for a long time,” she said. “We’ve had so many baptisms, confirmations, marriages.

“God is No. 1 in the world. Why can’t anyone do anything to save these places?”