ASHTABULA, Ohio — Parishioners are calling for Mother of Sorrows in Ashtabula to be reopened after the Diocese of Youngstown formally announced its closure, along with two others in the region, earlier this year.
The closure officially went into effect over the weekend, but some in the community aren't ready to call Mother of Sorrows closed just yet.
Tom Kane, who told News 5 his great-great-grandfather John Condron turned the first shovel when the church was built in the 1890s, is among several leading the effort to reopen the building.
Kane and others in the community have collected hundreds of signatures urging the church to change its mind.
"It just breaks my heart that this church is closing," Kane said. "We're fighting hard to keep the church open."
RELATED: Historic Catholic churches in Ashtabula and Portage counties to close permanently
News 5 first reported on the formal closure of Mother of Sorrows back in October. However, parishioners told News 5 the building has been closed off for about a year, in need of roof repairs.
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Back in October, Monsignor John Zuraw with the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown told News 5 the closures are necessary to tackle several factors, including a shortage of priests, a declining population of parishioners and aging buildings.
Mother of Sorrows Church suffered ceiling damage that could potentially be repaired, but the diocese noted that such work would only address a limited section and comes with no guarantee that the work would end there.
"Especially at the Mother of Sorrows building, there is some ceiling work that is very extensive that needs to be done — Whether or not that building can be saved," Zuraw said. "Yes, we value the past. We're here now in the present, but we have to secure a church for the future."
With the closing of Mother of Sorrows and St. Joseph in Ashtabula, the Diocese of Youngstown has guided parishioners to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, about two miles away from both churches.
These parishioners hope that the Diocese will allow them to bring in an outside architect or restoration expert to analyze what it would cost to make any necessary repairs.
Like Kane, Manny Massi was baptized at Mother of Sorrows and has been coming there his whole life.
"It looks like you're in Italy, walking into a chapel there," Massi said. "I think by closing this church, it's closing a lot of the community out."
Three generations of Louise Lotze's family are also part of the community push to better understand what it would take to repair the buildings and reopen them for Mass.
"It's just been a treasure to this community," Lotze said.
The parishioners are working to take their signatures and make a formal appeal to the Vatican in the coming weeks.
To sign the petition, an online form has been created and can be accessed by clicking here.
Clay LePard is the Ashtabula, Geauga and Portage counties reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @ClayLePard, on Facebook ClayLePardTV or email him at Clay.LePard@wews.com.
