DUNCOMBE - It was an emotional night for the parishioners of St. Joseph Catholic Church as they said goodbye to the church they have called home for generations.
Past and present members of the church gathered together to share memories and celebrate their faith one final time on Saturday evening during a special closing Mass.
"This is true reality that this is a bittersweet moment in the Catholic community," the Rev. Kevin McCoy, of the Holy Trinity Parish, said as he addressed parishioners.
"This place is familiar," he said. "But this is painful. Change is never easy. It's easy to prescribe, but it's not always easy to accomplish.
During the Mass, McCoy honored the confessional, lectern, altar and baptismal font as the significant places within the church.
"These are the places where God spoke to us, not as strangers, but as friends," McCoy said.
At the end of the Mass, the sacred vessels of the church; including candles, crosses and Communion chalices were processed out of the church to be taken to other churches where parishioners can worship.
For Mary Ellen Murphy, it was an emotional time as she said goodbye to the church she has attended all her life except for the10 years she spent living in California and Minnesota.
"This is an emotional event," she said. "I made my first Communion and was confirmed and married here. This is also where I buried my husband. It's a beautiful building and I'll miss it."
Murphy's mother, Edith Ascherl, served as an organist at the church for more than 40 years.
John O'Brien echoed Murphy's thoughts about the closing. A member since 1931, he was baptized, confirmed and married in the church.
"It's tough," he said.
O'Brien has been attending Mass at Corpus Christi and Sacred Heart in Fort Dodge.
Following the Mass, parishioners gathered in the Parish Hall to share a catered dinner together.
"We've been a family here," Murphy said. "I'll definitely miss that sense of family."
St. Joseph is the second of three churches to be closed in Holy Trinity Parish. Holy Rosary, in Fort Dodge, saw its final Mass on Nov. 8, and St. Joseph, in Barnum, will hold its final Mass at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
The closings come as the result of a June 4 decision by the Holy Trinity Pastoral Council to end services at the churches due to the number of priests available to serve the parishes.
Contact Emilie Nelson at 573-2141 or enelson@messengernews.net
