FERNDALE, Mich. – Serving the community for more than a century, St. James Church held its last rites on Sunday.

Built in 1919, the church has witnessed countless services for masses, weddings and christenings over the generations.

The Archdiocese of Detroit debated for months what to do with Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish, which shares two campuses, one in Ferndale and the other in Oak Park.

Lately, announced Ferndale plans to close its Catholic church.

The church will close its doors, but the building will find new life. It will be available for global use starting Monday. No information has yet been shared about what this might be.

“I’m so sorry, but life goes on,” Pastor Paul Chateau said. “I deal with death a lot, and this is similar.”

The packed mass, with many people standing, created a bittersweet feeling for parishioners.

“On a normal weekend, we see an average of 95 parishioners at this Mass,” said Christopher Hickner, who is also on the transition team. “So it’s nice to see the church full today, but for everyone here commenting on Facebook about being a parishioner – in the past, if you had been here this long, this church wouldn’t be closing today.”

Other members of the transition team also told Local 4 that the building’s deterioration only added to the financial stress.

Parishioners will now have to migrate to nearby churches.

“We had to try to figure out how to chart the best path forward,” Dominic Scappaticci said.

Even if the church closes its doors for good, there is hope that this worshiping community will remain intact.