YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The Catholic Diocese of Youngstown is set to demolish the old Welsh Church, the oldest church in Youngstown across from the St. Columbia Cathedral on Elm St. 

The Diocese purchased the church in 2015. Diocese Coordinator of Media Relations, Justin Huyck tells 21 News that there was a fire in the church long ago, which caused it to be in a state of disrepair well before they had acquired it.

During the last six years, the Diocese had a redevelopment plan for the property, but the plan was delayed to allow time for the possible relocation of the building.

The building was offered to Youngstown CityScape. Huyck says the Diocese worked with partners for five years with various possible options, but in the end, a viable plan was not presented to remove and refurbish the building despite great efforts by CityScape and other partners.

Huyck tells 21 News that the reason the building is being demolished rather than preserved is that it is in a state of great disrepair and that leaving it in its current location "would not be responsible."

"We very much wanted to donate the church for removal because history is important and memory is important. But there needed to be a comprehensive plan to maintain that memory," Huyck said.

"In working with out partners, our goal has been to ensure that the church not continue to be a hazard and a source of blight. That would not be a dignified way of remembering our history," Huyck added.

Once the church is demolished, the Diocese will keep the property in order to start the redevelopment plan, which includes green space for the area.

The building is set to be demolished at the end of January. No specific date has been set at this time, as paperwork still needs finalized.