St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church

St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church will close after a final Christmas Eve Mass.

The parish announced it Sunday in a social media post. It stated the church will be absorbed into Dunkirk’s Holy Trinity parish.

“The date of the closing has been moved up because it is feared the roof may not hold up through the winter and we have a prospective buyer for the property with a tight timeline,” the post states.

The final Mass held at the church will be the Christmas Eve midnight service. The last coffee hour after a Mass will be Dec. 22.

The closure of St. Joseph’s was originally announced in September by the Buffalo Diocese. At the time, the date of its closure was undetermined.

The shutdown of the parish is part of the diocese’s “Road to Renewal,” intended to address declining church attendance and a scarcity of clergy.

Chautauqua County saw 10 additional church losses during the September announcement. That includes St. Anthony’s in Fredonia, located just a couple blocks from St. Joseph’s. St. Anthony’s is slated to close Feb. 15, 2026. Holy Trinity will also absorb that parish.

St. Joseph’s was founded in 1899, so it celebrated 125 years of service this year. A banner on its front lawn proudly proclaimed that, back in October. The banner was removed after a few days.