Saint Hedwig’s Church in Chester has generated lifelong memories for its parishioners as they celebrate their Polish heritage over the church’s 125-year history, reports Alyana Gomez for 6abc.

Now, finances have forced the church to make the tough decision to close.

“This church is my family. It’s my home,” said David Chominski, of Chadds Ford.

“We sing in Polish and pray in Polish, and we still have a very tight-knit community that maintains this church,” said Judy Kuchinski of Chester.

The news was announced on the church Facebook page last Sunday.  The problem stems from lower attendance, lower collections, and increased costs to maintain the building’s aging infrastructure.

“The thing that was the nail in the coffin here was that the heater went in the church, and once the heater went, the expense to replace that was probably a little more than we could have raised ourselves,” said Kuchinski.

That repair alone would have cost more than $65,000.

Saint Hedwig’s school closed in the 1990s, and the church’s parish combined with two others.

Mass will continue to be held every Sunday until the final service on New Year’s Eve.

Find out more about the decision to close Saint Hedwig’s Church in Chester at 6abc.