The parish choir of St. Katharine Drexel in Lansford will be singing 30 minutes before each Mass this weekend, preceding the close of the church after its final Mass on Sunday.

Jeana Depuy, a member of the congregation says they will be "emphasizing the theme of faith, hope and love."There will be one Mass at 4 p.m. Saturday and one at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sunday.In April, Bishop John O. Barres sent a letter to the congregations in Panther Valley, announcing that on July 1, the parishes of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Katharine Drexel will close and consolidate with St. Joseph.The new parish will use the current St. Joseph building in Summit Hill and will be led by the Rev. James Burdess, pastor of St. Joseph.Our Lady of the Angels Academy also closed."The Diocesan Pastoral Planning Commission was asked in January to do an evaluation of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Nesquehoning, St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Lansford and St. Joseph Parish in Summit Hill," the diocese said in a statement. "Because of the parishes' role in supporting Our Lady of the Angels Academy in Lansford, it too was to be part of the plan. The aim of the evaluation was to balance all variables and create a sustainable Catholic parish in the region."The announcement comes eight years after the Diocese of Allentown, under then Bishop Edward P. Cullen, closed 47 churches following a two-year study that looked at the overall stability of the parishes, as well as the number of priests available to oversee the parishes in the future.At that time, all Catholic parishes in Coaldale, and SS. Peter and Paul and St. Ann's in Lansford, were closed and consolidated with St. Michael's in Lansford to become St. Katharine Drexel.Sacred Heart, Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Immaculate Conception in Nesquehoning were combined to become St. Francis of Assisi.St. Stanislaus in Summit Hill was closed and consolidated with St. Joseph in the borough.