BURLINGTON–Parishioners have given the go-ahead for the former Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception to be downgraded to a church, and for the parish to merge with what will now be the Cathedral of St. Joseph.

The two places of worship have been moving toward a merger for more than a year. Facing dwindling attendance and a financial deficit, Immaculate Conception — the first Catholic church in New England to be dedicated a cathedral in 1867 — celebrated its last Sunday mass on New Year’s Day 2017. Weekday masses, and a once-monthly mass in Vietnamese, have continued to be held in the downtown cathedral, but Sunday mass moved to St. Joseph, only a few blocks away in the Old North End. St. Joseph’s has been designated a Co-Cathedral since 2001.

The decision to downgrade Immaculate Conception and designate St. Joseph’s as Burlington’s only cathedral, officially a “suppression and merger,” could pave the way for the sale of the church property, located in the heart of downtown and valued at $4 million.

Bishop Christopher Coyne, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington said the diocese has been approached from time to time by interested parties, but said the decision to sell the property has not been finalized.

The idea of merging two of the city’s six Catholic parishes is not new, Coyne said. It was first discussed as long ago as the early 1970s when the original cathedral burned to the ground — one of a series of devastating arson fires that swept through downtown Burlington, destroying some of the city’s architectural treasures, including two cathedrals and two old theaters. The cathedral constructed to replace the original was distinctly modern in style with a large landscaped garden.

“I love this building. I love this church. I was ordained here in 1993, but I can’t run a building of nice sentiment. We need to think smart and to think ahead,” said Immaculate Conception Pastor, The Rev. Lance Harlow.

But declining attendance and finances have left the diocese little option. If the church’s heating or air-conditioning system were to break down, it could spell financial disaster, Harlow said.

“We can’t keep both spaces open,” Coyne said.

Coyne said that if the property were sold, he hoped the proceeds would be placed in an endowment.

He also said he hoped to see much of Immaculate Conception’s interior–the altar, pews and baptismal font–go to Morrisville, where discussions are being held about building a new parish church to serve the the town and surrounding communities.

The meeting drew Immaculate Conception and St. Joseph’s parishioners.

Said one long-time Immaculate Conception parishioner “it’s a very emotional thing. I feel we’ve been almost accepted at St. Joseph’s, and that’s a good feeling. It’s time to get it going and to get the money.”

Closing churches and merging parishes has happened less in Vermont than in more populated dioceses in Boston and New York. The last Catholic church to close in Vermont was St. Robert’s Church in Chittenden, for similar reasons of dwindling attendance and resources.