AN ABERDYFI pensioner says she would be prepared to “sell her house and business” to save the town’s Catholic church.

The Christ the King Church held its final mass last Saturday, following a decision by the Bishop of Wrexham, Peter Brignall, to close the church along with 21 others across north Wales, following a drop in the number of priests and members of the congregation.

One churchgoer, Gaynor O’Neill, says she will fight on to keep the place of worship open.

She said: “It is scandalous. The closure of the church is of great concern not only to me, but to the whole community.

“I love the Christ the King Church dearly. So many people have put so much of themselves into that building, none more so than Father Charles Lloyd, who was our priest for many years.

“He’s such a humble man, grief-stricken by the loss of the church, but his dedication to the church was immeasurable; he put his heart and soul into it.

“Being a Catholic convert himself, he managed to bring so many new people to the church.

“That’s what really grates; we would regularly see crowds of more than 40 or 50 parishioners when the church was fully open. People used to travel from across the UK to come to Aberdyfi for the services, which date back 100 years. Why close this church, one of the more popular ones?"

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