Parishioners attended the last Sunday service of a historic church in Carle Place before it shut down.

Last month, Bishop Lawrence Provenzano announced that the 96-year-old St. Mary’s Episcopal Church is one of three parishes marked for closure by the Episcopalian Diocese of Long Island.

Bishop Provenzano said the church is closing due to low attendance.

He said in a statement, “The Diocesan Council made its decision to close St. Mary’s based on the fact that St. Mary’s no longer meets the minimum number of parishioners to sustain congregational life and serve the wider community. Our intention is not to sell the St. Mary’s property, but to reimagine how it might be used more effectively to serve the ongoing ministry of the church.”

Carle Place resident Joseph Schaefer says the church has been part of his family’s life for generations.

“It's a shame, this is a place that my parents, my grandparents, my great-grandparents have been at for many years,” he says. “It's a shame that the diocese is doing this almost as a cash grab. The church is not in financially bad shape. It's truly unfortunate that they're putting the parishioners out. We have nowhere to go."

Many parishioners say they're especially upset that the church closed just a few weeks before Easter.