CHILI, N.Y. -- St. Pius X Church in Chili is set to be demolished Tuesday.
A fire severely damaged the Catholic Church in the late hours of New Year's Day. Fire, heat and smoke damaged the interior of the church beyond repair.
Since the fire, church services have been held inside of the school on the property. The school was the former place of worship before the church was built.
Monday, a demolition company began working on separating the church from the Parish center. The center was saved from the fire and is in the process of being repaired for use. After the church building is demolished, plans are in the works to rebuild.
Father Paul Bonacci says parishioners gathered this morning for a prayer service where they shared memories of the church's history.
"People were sharing about the memories, about being welcomed here into the community, being baptized, their children being baptized, communions, the profound sense of community, the sacredness of worshiping god and prayer. So it's a building, but it's a building that housed so many wonderful memories for so many people," said Bonacci.
The demolition of the church was originally scheduled for Monday, however it was delayed by a day after a piece of equipment broke.