Parishioners at St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr Parish have signed a petition asking the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn to reconsider merging the parish with the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish as well as the sale of the buildings and parking lot in Ozone Park.

Some parishioners feel they were not properly informed of the merge.”We lack basic knowledge regarding the church's financial situation,” one part of the petition noted. “This is why we are acting last minute on this matter.”

Monsignor Kieran Harrington of The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, noted that the merge is an administrative merge, done as a way to cut costs.

But parishioners fear the merge is a gateway into selling their church at a later date, leaving them with no place to congregate.

"There are two parishes that are as close as you can get to one another and there are substantial costs associated with running parishes," Monsignor Harrington said. “This will give us a better use of our resources so that we could better serve the community.”

He noted that while the two churches are merging, mass will continue at St. Stanislaus and at Nativity.