Delaware County Catholic Church Closing In January

LANSDOWNE, PA — A Catholic church in Delaware County is closing, according to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

The archdiocese said Monday that Saint Cyril of Alexandria Church in East Lansdowne will no longer serve as a worship site of Saint Philomena Parish and will close as a Roman Catholic church.

Saint Cyril merged with Saint Philomena Parish in 2013 as part of the Parish Area Pastoral Planning Initiative. Both parishes merged at the location and retained the name of Saint Philomena Parish. At the time, the Saint Cyril of Alexandria church building became a worship site of Saint Philomena Parish.

The church will officially close on Jan. 11, 2021.

Saint Philomena's pastor requested the closure and the request was reviewed by the Archdiocesan Council of Priests and presented to Pérez, who made the final decision.

The church building has not been regularly used for worship since Christmas 2018. Following the close of that Christmas season, only infrequent liturgies were celebrated at the church for students attending the Saint Cyril of Alexandria Mission School, which is located on the property of the former parish.

"Saint Cyril of Alexandria Church is located less than one mile from Saint Philomena Church," the archdiocese said in its announcement. "An undue burden for the faithful to come to Saint Philomena Parish to worship does not exist. In addition, having all parishioners worship at Saint Philomena Parish will continue to enhance parish unity and help parishioners focus on the future of the parish."

While Saint Philomena Parish has striven to maintain the Saint Cyril of Alexandria Church, it has caused significant financial strain. The merger of Saint Cyril of Alexandria Parish with Saint Philomena Parish brought significant debt to Saint Philomena Parish.

Due to the debt, the parish cannot afford to spend about $1 million dollars needed to properly fix the slate roof of the church building. Selling the property would relieve Saint Philomena Parish of financial strain in attempting to correct the roofing and significantly help remove the parish debt and stabilize its finances.

The church building is the property of Saint Philomena Parish. The building's future will be determined by the pastor in consultation with his parish pastoral and finance councils in a manner consistent with providing for continued parish viability and sustainability.

The archdiocese also announced Immaculate Conception Parish in Philadelphia is closing on Jan. 11, 2021.